Dussehra 2023 : In Chandigarh, Ravana’s effigy was ignited at around 25 different places; city’s tallest Ravana, standing at 101 feet, was set up at Mandi Ground in Sector 46. Dussehra celebrations across the tricity featured a fiery send-off for Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad on Tuesday.
In Chandigarh, Ravana’s effigy was ignited at around 25 different places. City’s tallest Ravana, standing at 101 feet, was set up at Mandi Ground in Sector 46. The effigies were fitted with fire sprinklers in the eyes and mouth to make it appear that the demon king and his brothers were repenting before their fall.
Chandigarh director general of police (DGP) Parveer Ranjan, who was the chief guest, initiated the burning of the effigies by pressing a remote button.
Prior to this, the DGP paid tribute to martyrs of the Anantnag attack. A poster paying tribute to Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonack and deputy superintendent Humayun Bhat was displayed at the venue.
Heavy rush of people was also seen at Sector 34 and the iconic Parade Ground in Sector 17. In addition to the main locations, the fiery spectacle of effigy burning was also seen at various other sites across the city, including IWS Flats in Sector 26, Mandi ground near Ram Darbar, Arya Samaj Mandir in Sector 7, CPWD in Sector 7, sabji mandi in Ram Darbar, Subhash Nagar in Manimajra, RBI Colony in Sector 30, Shani Mandir in Manimajra and Nanaksar Gurdwara in Sector 28.
In Panchkula, tricity’s tallest Ravana, standing at a towering height of 171 feet, went up in flames at Shalimar Ground, Sector 5, around 6.20 pm. The effigy, which was fitted with eco-friendly firecrackers from Tamil Nadu, was the centre stage of the celebrations.
The craze was such that roads leading to the ground were abuzz with people, with cars parked along roadsides in serpentine queue running over two kilometres. Though police were present to manage the crowd, many were left stuck in slow-moving traffic for nearly an hour.
Panchkula MLA Gian Chand Gupta, mayor Kulbhushan Goyal and others were the chief guests at the event. The effigy was constructed at a cost of around ₹18 lakh, a collaborative effort by the Mata Mansa Devi Charitable Trust (Dussehra committee) of Panchkula and Adarsh Ramlila Dramatic Club.
The residents of Mohali celebrated Dusshera at five different places. The main function was organised at Sector 77 by the Dussehra committee, and deputy commissioner Aashika Jain was the chief guest.
Alongside the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakaran and Meghnad, an effigy symbolising the eradication of drugs was also erected. The Ravana effigy here was 80 feet tall.
Anurag Aggarwal, the general secretary of the committee, said, Dussehra was previously celebrated at the Dussehra Ground in Phase 8. However, due to the construction of a mall, the location was shifted to the YPS School ground. This year owing to protests by the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, the celebration was moved to Sector 77.
Meanwhile, snarl-ups were witnessed on roads in several parts of the town in the evening. Long queues of vehicles were seen on the road separating Phase 7 and 8, Sector 70, Kumbhra Chowk, Phase 7 traffic light point, and Phases 9, 10 and 11.
Bursting of crackers during Dussehra celebrations didn’t have immediate effect on the Air Quality Index (AQI). At 8 pm, at the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Sector 22, Chandigarh, the AQI was 113, considered “moderate”. At the monitoring stations in Sectors 25 and 53, the AQI was 93 and 98, falling in the “satisfactory” category.
AQI in the 101-200 range is considered moderate. It can cause breathing discomfort to people with lung, asthma and heart diseases. Even in satisfactory range (51-100), it can cause minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.
