The Durga Puja carnival will be held on Kolkata’s Red Road on Saturday amid tight security after a gap of two years.
Around 100 Durga Puja committees will participate in the carnival, displaying their idols in colorful tableaus accompanied by their members performing cultural programmes. For the past two years, the Durga Puja carnival could not be held due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
About 2,500 police personnel and 1,200 firefighters will be stationed near the scene.
A traffic advisory said some roads in the city would remain closed on Saturday. “A notice is issued to inform commuters that due to the carnival, Red Road, Khidderpore Road, Love Lane, Hospital Road (North Boundary), Queens Way, Esplanade Ramp, Plassey Gate Road and Mayo Road will be closed. closed for some. time for vehicle traffic on Saturday”, the announcement states.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, ministers of state, senior government officials, dignitaries from foreign embassies, consulates and UNESCO will be present on the occasion. This year the state government is celebrating UNESCO’s recognition of Kolkata’s Durga Puja following its inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List in December last year.
The police have issued a set of guidelines for puja organizers who will participate in the carnival.
It has been decided that each puja committee will decorate only three tableaus and display their program for three minutes. Any puja club or committee can organize a precession, but the number of participants will not exceed 50. The Durga idol, including the height of the vehicle, should not be more than 16 feet tall.
The event will begin with a performance by the Kolkata Police force ‘Daredevil’ followed by a performance by the dance troupe of Dona Ganguly, wife of former Indian cricket team captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. Since Donna was released from the hospital last night after contracting chikungunya, she will not be able to perform at the carnival. However, around 300 students from her dance school will perform as scheduled. “The doctors have advised me not to perform for the next two weeks as I am still weak. But my troupe of dancers will perform tomorrow. I can be present at the event, but I will not be able to perform”, said Dona who visited the carnival site on Friday afternoon.
The state government has ordered that only green crackers will be allowed during carnival processions.
The Jalpaiguri district administration in north Bengal decided to cancel the celebrations following the immersion day tragedy in which eight people lost their lives in a flash flood in the Mal river. Several Durga Puja carnivals were held on Friday in various districts.
