HIDCO to honour the most eco-friendly puja of New Town

Kolkata: The Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) will honour the most eco-friendly Puja in 2019 in New Town.

Altogether, 117 community pujas said to be organised in the area. New Town is fast coming up as a green and clean city and this is for the first time when the most eco-friendly puja will be awarded. The residents of the blocks and those living in housing complexes will select the best puja by sending SMS texts.

In the past, puja committees were given prizes at the New Town Mela by the state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim.

The puja committees that put up the most attractive pandals, idols were given prizes along with those for good overall presentation of the puja. Hidco, in collaboration with an NGO, has introduced a unique plan where the willing puja committees can get in touch with the NGO who will collect the flowers after anjali is completed.

These flowers will be used to produce chemical free abir which is used during the Holi. In the past, Hidco used to collect all the flowers before the immersion and the new plan is one step forward to conserve environment.

This is for the first time when senior citizens will celebrate Durga Puja at Snehodiya, the state of the art living space. The Puja will be inaugurated by Swami Suviranandaji, general secretary, Ramakrishna Math and Mission on October 3.

Hidco has taken up several schemes to conserve environment. It was in New Town when electric buses were introduced first in the state. It is watering the roadside trees with recycled water.