Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was celebrated with enthusiasm in the city on Thursday, with lakhs of followers gathering at Kranti Chowk to pay obeisance. Processions from various parts of the city reached Kranti Chowk in the evening, while political leaders, social workers and eminent personalities from different fields paid tributes to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Various programmes had been organised across the city for the past week to commemorate the occasion. The celebrations began almost a week ago with lectures, powadas, orchestras, fancy dress competitions and other events at different locations.
People gathered at Kranti Chowk at midnight to pay tributes. The entire Shiv Smarak area at Kranti Chowk was decorated with colourful lighting and paintings, while saffron flags were hoisted along the roads. People thronged in groups to pay obeisance. Crackers were burst at midnight, and the entire area echoed with firecrackers and slogan shouting.
As the police administration had warned about sound limits during the processions and Shiv Bhaktas had resolved to celebrate a DJ-free Shiv Jayanti, the processions were organised with traditional musical instruments.
Under the guidance of Commissioner of Police Praveen Pawar, around 1,500 police officers and employees were deployed at various places to maintain law and order. Strict vigil was kept on the crowd through CCTV and drone cameras. In all, 50 officers and 300 policemen were deployed at Kranti Chowk, where lakhs of people paid obeisance to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Major roads in the city were closed to general traffic between 11am and 12 midnight. These included Rajabazar Chowk, Kranti Chowk to Gopal T-point, Cidco N-12 to Chistiya Colony, Jaibhavaninagar to Adinath Chowk and others.
