Ludhiana: After 10 days of festivities, devotees across the city are bidding an emotional farewell to Lord Ganesh, with immersion of idols under way at designated water bodies. A visit to the banks of the Satluj found large numbers of devotees gathering to immerse idols of various sizes.Police personnel have been deployed at the river banks to prevent devotees from venturing into deep water. However, despite the restrictions, some devotees could be seen taking dips in the river.Devotees arrived carrying idols, dancing to the beats of dhols and throwing colours at each other. They performed aarti on the banks before taking the idols into the water for immersion. However, as the immersion continues till late evening, inadequate lighting at the site has emerged as a concern. The riverbank has also become muddy and slippery, with devotees walking towards the water while drenched after taking dips.Some young men who know swimming were seen helping devotees immerse idols in deeper waters. Others struggled to maintain their balance while negotiating the slippery path leading to the water.Rohit Kumar, a devotee who was about to fall into the river along with his son, said, “The bank of the Satluj is slippery. When we came for immersion of the idol of Lord Ganesh, I could not see properly. I was about to fall into the river, but thankfully a person standing there held my hand.”He said lights should be installed at the site to prevent people from falling into the river. He also claimed that every year there are reports of people drowning during idol immersion, but adequate precautions are still not taken.Police personnel remained present at the immersion site and attempted to keep devotees away from the immediate edge of the river. They were seen urging people to maintain a safe distance from the water and avoid venturing too close to the slippery banks. However, with large crowds gathering at the site, maintaining safety remains a challenge.The immersion of idols will continue till Friday, with more devotees expected to visit designated water bodies to bid farewell to Lord Ganesh.Trash piles up along Sutlej banksWith large numbers of devotees visiting the immersion site, trash has started accumulating along the banks of the Satluj. With hardly anyone cleaning up after the rituals, a foul smell was reported from the area.
