STATE : On Sunday, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha will inaugurate a three-day Diwali festival at Tripureswari temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peeths at Udaipur in Gomati district.

Security arrangement has been beefed up in and around the 700-year-old temple to ensure peaceful celebrations of the festival of light.

State Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy, Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, and Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma will also be present at the inaugural function.

The temple will open at 4.30 am on Sunday, and the priests will perform the Chandi path, one of the rituals of worshipping.

“The Tripura Sundari deity will be adorned with special ornaments on the occasion of Diwali. The puja will start at 10 am on Sunday as usual. A special puja will be organised in the evening,” said Chandan Chakraborty, head priest of the temple.

He said that the temple will remain open through Sunday night, but will be closed at 11 pm on Monday and Tuesday.

“The fair surrounding the temple will continue as per the schedule. All arrangements have been made to celebrate Diwali with pomp and gaiety,” he said.

Local MLA Abhishek Debroy, chairman of the fair committee, told media agency PTI that this year, the puja rituals will be live-streamed on giant screens for devotees on Sunday and Monday.

“We hope the gatherings will cross all previous records this year,” he said.

Meanwhile, the police have taken steps to enforce the use of only green crackers during the festivities, following advice from the Tripura State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB).

“Only green crackers are allowed to be used during Diwali festival. We will take action if anybody is found using banned firecrackers this time”, Superintendent of Police (West) Kiran Kumar said.(PTI)