Ranchi, Oct 16 (PTI) Rain lashed parts of Jharkhand, including Ranchi, on Friday evening, disrupting preparations for the four-day Durga Puja festival beginning October 17.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, however, said the rainfall was unlikely to dampen the festive spirit, with mostly clear weather expected from Saturday.
“The sudden rainfall, mainly in Ranchi, Khunti and Giridih, was triggered by a trough and a circulation over the coastal areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Light rain is likely in East and West Singhbhum districts on Saturday. The weather will be clear in the rest of the districts,” said Baburaj PP, director of the Ranchi Meteorological Centre.
Intermittent rain continued in Ranchi until the evening, creating challenges for Puja committees.
Amit Bajaj of Bharatiya Yuvak Sangh, Bakri Bazar, said the downpour caused waterlogging around the pandal premises and damaged decorative artwork.
“The sudden heavy rain triggered waterlogging around the pandal premises, causing considerable inconvenience to visitors. Besides, the paintings created on the pandal also got damaged,” he said.
The Puja committee has built a replica of the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
Ashok Choudhary, a member of Ramlalla Durga Puja Samiti, said its pandal had also been opened to visitors.
“A good number of visitors are expected today, but rain might play spoilsport,” he said. PTI SAN SAN MNB
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