Devotees immerse an idol of goddess Durga in an immersion pit in the city.

NEW DELHI: Probably for the first time since Durga Puja celebrations began in the capital more than 100 years ago, city authorities ensured that no idols were immersed in the Yamuna by setting up multiple layers of barricades blocking all routes to Delhi’s most popular ghats.

Trucks bringing Durga idols or people coming in cars and bikes to simply “offer” prayers to the Yamuna on Tuesday had to make their way to the nearest idol immersion pit created by the Delhi government.

Multiple teams of the Delhi Police were stationed at each entrance to various riverside ghats and even at bridges across the Yamuna. Each passerby or vehicle that slowed down in a bid to enter the ghat was simply asked to “not pollute the Yamuna” and move to the nearest pit.

Unlike previous years when puja samitis would be allotted a spot at the nearest Ghat, this year they were required to carry out “eco-friendly” immersions at designed spots across the city.

Many people still tried their luck on Tuesday, by making it to a Yamuna ghat, but to no avail. TOI visited Delhi’s major ghats and found police personnel had turned away thousands of people, most of whom claimed they were unaware of the new eco-friendly immersion plans.

“We have been patrolling the spots since last night and will continue to man the entrances till Tuesday night to ensure no idol reaches the Yamuna. Over 1,000 people have been turned back and we have a list of the nearest spots where the idols can be immersed. Some people argued with us, but most understood the objective and simply went to that location,” said head constable Vinod Kumar, who was stationed at the ITO ghat.

At the Yamuna bridge located directly over ITO ghat, policemen were stationed at a gap of every 20 metres to ensure no vehicle would stop and offer prayers to the Yamuna. “People kept stopping but we would tell them that this is not allowed. Most were unaware of the order,” a cop said.

At the Mayur Vihar ghat, the road leading down to the riverbank had not only been barricaded but dug up too, meaning no vehicle could get past that point. “No vehicle can cross this area and people who brought idols by hand were asked to move to the nearest ground, barely 100 metres away. Most people were concerned just with carrying out immersions and did not argue,” said a police officer stationed on duty there.

TOI also visited the Yamuna ghat at Kashmere Gate and Kudsia ghat, with a similar arrangement made at both locations. Arun Mishra, district magistrate (east) said the overall cooperation from the public was this and no problems were reported on Tuesday. “We had given instructions to both the puja samitis and to the police on the locations of immersion pits. We have also not seen many instances of PoP idols being immersed and those that turned up at ghats for immersion were asked to go and immerse idols at the correct spot,” said Mishra.

Several puja samitis, however, argued that the Yamuna was linked intrinsically to idol immersions in Delhi and provisions could have been made to immerse idols on the ghats. “Effluents from industries pollute the Yamuna much more than what our idols do. This only happens once a year and some provisions should have been made at the Delhi ghats too,” said Sanjay Mazumdar from the Milani Cultural and Welfare Association in east Delhi.

Abhijit Chattopadhyay, who is associated with a Durga puja samiti from Ashram, said while arrangements at pits were sufficient, the immersion process is not complete until Yamuna water touches the idol. “Immersing idols in pits is just not the same as immersion in the free-flowing Yamuna. This is been our tradition for many decades and there was no need to change it,” said Chattopadhyay.

