Covid scare, HC order shrink puja pandal crowd in city

The usual crowd of revellers was missing on the streets of Kolkata on 'Mahasasthi' which marks the beginning of the five-day Durga puja festivities -- with the Calcutta High Court having declared all pandals no- entry zones, and rain playing spoilsport in the morning.

The usual crowd of revellers was missing on the streets of Kolkata on 'Mahasasthi' which marks the beginning of the five-day Durga puja festivities -- with the Calcutta High Court having declared all pandals no- entry zones, and rain playing spoilsport in the morning. Many big-ticket pandals, including Ekdalia Evergreen, Singhi Park, Ahiritola Sarbojonin, Tridhara Sammilani, Chetla Agroni, wore a forlorn look, as just a handful of organisers and local residents were allowed to visit the marquees.

A motley group of people were, however, seen clicking photographs of the pandal from far, and indulging in street food, even as the organisers scrambled to ensure the decor at the open-air marquees did not get soggy during the drizzle. Piyush Saha, an IT professional in Tollygunje area, said he has downloaded apps launched by some of the award- winning pujas as he "did not want to miss out on the fun and festivities" at these pandals.

"There is no point risking our safety amid the pandemic. As most of the pujas have launched their apps and some are live streaming events on YouTube, why take the risk? I have, however, visited the pandal near my home," he said. Somnath Das, the secretary of Santoshpur Lake Pally, said, "Visitors will get to see our Maa Durga's idol from a distance of 10 metres, but not many have turned up so far.

"We have also arranged 360 degree live streaming of our puja on YouTube." At Sribhumi Sporting Club, where massive public gatherings were witnessed on Saturday and Sunday, triggering concern over COVID-19 spread, organisers have pulled down a part of the dais outside the pandal to facilitate visitors catch a glimpse of the idol from a distance. An officer of the Kolkata Police said not many people were seen swarming the streets during the day, and no report of court order violation was received from anywhere in the city. He, however, asserted that all arrangements were in place for crowd management.

The Calcutta High Court, in an order on Monday, declared community Durga Puja pandals as "no-entry zones", disallowing visitors from entering the marquees, amid the surge in COVID-19 cases across the state..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)