Durga Puja organisers await state clarity on grant, street pandal

Kolkata: After CM Suvendu Adhikari’s announcement that religion-based handouts will be discontinued, organisers of low-budget Durga Pujas are anxious about whether the new state govt will continue the festival grant, saying they need an early, clear decision to finalise budgets and commitments. Alongside the funding question, many organisers are also uneasy about the govt’s approach to pandals on roads in the wake of anti-encroachment drives and curbs on offering Friday namaz on streets, and want clarity soon so they can decide whether to proceed with existing layouts or redraw plans.Under the previous administration, financial assistance to puja committees began at Rs 10,000 in 2018 and rose annually, reaching Rs 1.1 lakh last year. The statewide payout to organisers last year exceeded Rs 400 crore. Additional waivers — such as 80% electricity charges, fire licence fees and KMC taxes on advertisement hoardings and banners — meant some larger pujas effectively received support worth around Rs 2 lakh.While around 500 medium- and big-budget pujas say they can absorb the impact if the grant is withdrawn, smaller pujas where the assistance can make up 20%-40% of the total budget say the uncertainty is already affecting planning. Organisers point to inflation and rising material costs, which they estimate could push expenses up by around 10%, making the grant a crucial cushion for neighbourhood pujas.“Of the 45,000 community or baroari Durga Pujas, around 44,000 have a budget under Rs 10 lakh. If the payout stops, it will hurt them. Beyond the issue of financial assistance, organising Kolkata’s Durga Puja at the scale it has reached now cannot happen without the administration’s support. We are therefore all waiting for an announcement from the govt,” said Forum for Durgotsav vice-president Saswata Bose. The Forum, formed in 2010, represents around 500 city pujas, including many that draw high footfall.Even organisers of larger pujas, who say they do not depend on the grant, are pressing for support to continue for smaller committees, arguing that the spending circulates through local businesses and workers during the season. “The economy around Durga Puja is pegged around Rs 75,000-80,000 crore. That is 5% of the state’s GDP,” said Partho Ghosh, founder of the Forum.Separately, organisers whose pandals occupy roads and lanes say they are keen to hear the govt’s position quickly, with the festival just over four months away. They say uncertainty over permissions and road-use norms could delay construction schedules and force last-minute changes.The Calcutta High Court has repeatedly stressed that puja organisers must not completely block roads and must leave adequate space for traffic and pedestrians. While it has not ordered a halt to old, established pujas, it has underlined the need for proper regulation to address inconvenience to citizens.The state govt, KMC and Kolkata Police have issued guidelines in the past, including leaving at least 20 ft of road space free on either side of a pandal for traffic and emergency vehicles, and keeping at least two-thirds of the road free on narrower streets.The organiser of a puja that has been a crowd-puller for many years also pointed to the uncertainty over whom to approach as the portfolios of information & cultural affairs are yet to be distributed. Though Adhikari has the Home portfolio, they aren’t sure if it is the right time to broach the topic when the CM is dealing with a multitude of issues in the administration.“Earlier, in the earlier regime, there was only one person who mattered and all decisions were taken by her. We are unsure if it will still be the CM who will decide on Durga Puja or someone else will be designated to handle the matter,” he said.