Kolkata is preparing to replace crane-assisted handling with conveyor belts and mechanically operated trolleys for Durga idol immersion at key Hooghly river ghats during this year’s Dashami, in a move intended to make the movement of idols more orderly and reduce manual handling.
Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul said on Thursday that conveyor-belt arrangements would be an important consideration for the immersion operations. Officials are closely monitoring preparations at major locations including Babughat, Baje Kadamtala Ghat and Baghbazar.
The change follows Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s announcement last month that the state would move away from the use of cranes for idol immersion. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has since examined conveyor belts and mechanically operated trolleys as possible alternatives for moving idols towards the river and retrieving them after immersion.
Under the proposed conveyor-belt system, an idol would be placed on a moving platform and carried towards the water before being brought back towards the riverbank. The arrangement is intended to reduce the need for cranes to lift idols after immersion and make the movement of large structures more controlled.
A trolley-based mechanism has also been examined at Baje Kadamtala Ghat. A similar system has been used at Taki in North 24 Parganas, where a trolley helps move idols towards the Ichamati riverfront for immersion. Officials are assessing whether conveyor systems can be installed at additional Hooghly ghats, including Babughat and Baghbazar.
The feasibility of the systems will depend on the space available at each ghat and the infrastructure already in place. Officials have indicated that the arrangement may not be practical at every immersion point, making site-specific planning necessary ahead of the annual immersion cycle, when thousands of idols are taken to designated riverfront locations.
Paul also said that mechanised immersion should be accompanied by stronger environmental safeguards. She urged puja committees to segregate waste at source, use colour-coded bins, conserve water and adopt energy-efficient lighting. Organisers were also asked to avoid prohibited thin plastic bags, particularly for distributing bhog, and to reduce plastic use.
The minister called for plantation drives around puja pandals and encouraged organisers to involve school and college students in environmental initiatives. These could include distributing saplings that can be planted and maintained locally.
Paul further asked puja committees to use their pandals for showcasing welfare schemes and development initiatives of the state and Central governments. She suggested that stalls, cultural programmes and street performances could be used to explain schemes to visitors, including PM SVANidhi, which provides loans to street vendors to support the expansion of their businesses.
The immediate operational milestone is the completion of feasibility assessments and arrangements at the designated Hooghly immersion ghats before Dashami. The final deployment of conveyor belts or trolley systems will depend on the available space and existing infrastructure at each location.
