Kolkata will use conveyor belts instead of cranes to move Durga Puja idols into the Hooghly and retrieve them after immersion at key ghats during this year’s Dashami celebrations, marking a shift towards a more mechanised system at the city’s busiest immersion points.
Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul said on Thursday that conveyor-belt arrangements would be an important consideration for the immersion process. Officials are closely monitoring preparations at major locations including Babughat, Baje Kadamtala Ghat and Baghbazar.
The move follows Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s announcement last month that the state would move away from crane-assisted immersion. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has since examined conveyor belts and mechanically operated trolleys as alternatives for handling idols at the riverfront.
Under the proposed system, an idol would be placed on a moving platform and carried towards the water before being brought back towards the bank after immersion. The arrangement is intended to reduce the need for cranes to lift idols and limit manual handling during a period when large numbers of idols are transported to designated ghats.
A trolley-based mechanism has also been examined at Baje Kadamtala Ghat. A similar system is already in use at Taki in North 24 Parganas, where a trolley facilitates the movement of idols towards the Ichamati riverfront for immersion.
Officials are assessing whether conveyor systems can be installed at additional Hooghly ghats, including Babughat and Baghbazar. Their feasibility will depend on available space and existing infrastructure, meaning that the same arrangement may not be suitable at every immersion point.
The mechanised system will be introduced alongside calls for stronger environmental safeguards at puja venues. Paul urged puja committees to segregate waste at source, use colour-coded bins, conserve water and adopt energy-efficient lighting. She also warned organisers against using prohibited thin plastic bags, particularly for distributing bhog, and asked them to reduce plastic consumption.
Paul further called for plantation drives around puja pandals and urged organisers to involve school and college students in environmental activities, including the distribution of saplings that can be planted and maintained. She also asked committees to use their pandals for showcasing welfare schemes and development initiatives of the state and Central governments.
The conveyor-belt plan comes ahead of Kolkata’s annual immersion cycle, when thousands of idols are taken to designated Hooghly ghats. Municipal and state authorities are continuing to assess the arrangements at individual locations before deciding where the mechanised systems can be deployed.
