Agartala: Durga Puja festivities began across Tripura on Friday, drawing devotees and shoppers to pandals and markets.Though the formal five-day celebration began with Shashthi rituals in the evening, many people started visiting pandals and shopping earlier in the day. The rush intensified after office, school and college hours, bringing Agartala’s traffic to a standstill for hours.Pleasant weather and the absence of daytime vehicle restrictions drew visitors from across the state to the capital. However, the surge in vehicles caused congestion from early afternoon, worsening as evening approached.Major highways and key intersections reported long queues of cars, auto-rickshaws and motorcycles. Devotees travelling from different parts of Tripura were delayed on their way to the pandals.Large crowds remained at popular pandals at night, while vehicle movement between venues added to the congestion. Traffic jams continued on several main roads, disrupting the celebrations.
