Bad weather mars Dussehra spirit in Tripura

Agartala, Oct 9 (UNI) Dussehra, the last day of the Durga puja festival, lost its festive spirit following heavy showers and bad weather in Tripura since last night while weathermen predicted more rains in next 24 hours.

Except security personnel and a few puja organisers, none was seen on the roads and most of the clubs have cancelled the immersion programme of Goddess Durga today.

Traditionally in Tripura, Bangalees celebrate Vijaya on the day, symbolisng the victory of good over evil, but this year both weather and security issue have made the festival gloomy.

Meanwhile, security was beefed up and extra precaution taken to ensure peaceful ending to the puja. The main roads of all the towns, including Agartala, and the immersion ghats of different rivers had also been brought under surveillance.

Police said following recent serial blasts in Agartala, the state authority has made extra deployment on all the roads, markets and puja pandals while the DGP along with other senior security officials was personally monitoring the arrangements.

A series of synchronised powerful bombs went off in different busy areas recently and the subsequent recovery of a live explosive near a temple in Agartala forced the authority to deploy 22,000 security personnel, including state police and paramilitary forces, besides private security personnel and volunteers. Frisking mechanism had been installed and extensive search carried out in the puja pandals to ensure peaceful celebration.

About 2,000 community puja have been organised across the state, including about 300 in the state capital, and unlike previous years there was no report of tribal guerrillas creating problems or asking people not to organise Durga Puja this year from anywhere in the state, said DGP Pranay Sahaya.

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