No visitors to be allowed in Durga Puja pandals in Bengal: Calcutta High Court

Oct. 19: Just 3 days ahead of the greatest festival of the bengalis, the Calcutta High Court directed that Durga Puja pandals in West Bengal will be no-entry zone for visitors and only organizers will be allowed inside the pandals amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hearing a PIL by Ajay Kumar, the Calcutta High Court on Monday said no visitors would not be allowed within a five-metre distance for small pandals and 10 metre for big pandals and directed organisers to erect barricades at their entrance. The High Court said there are not enough policemen in Kolkata to man crowds at the city’s 3000-plus pandals.

The High Court in its order limited the number of committee members who would be allowed to enter inside the pandals. It limited the number to 25 for big pandals and 15 for the smaller ones. A list of names of organisers will have to be put up outside pandals and only they can enter for puja-related work. Durga Puja is celebrated in a grand manner in West Bengal with nearly 37,000 pandals set up every year, out of which, around 3000 puja pandals are in Kolkata alone.