Parks to be reopened from Oct 15 for last-minute Durga Puja preparations

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will reopen all parks under its jurisdiction with effect from October 15 to facilitate the last-minute preparations for the Durga Puja. More than 250 Pujas are held in various parks across the city.

"We have decided to open up the parks in the city from October 15. The protocols of opening will be strictly in adherence to the guidelines of the state government," said Debasish Kumar, Member of KMC's Board of Administrators in-charge of Parks and Squares.

Many Puja committees involved in organising the Durga Puja in parks have been requesting the KMC since last month to reopen them. In the beginning of this month, the KMC had allowed restricted entry of the Puja committee members in the parks so that they can start setting up the pandals.

Some of the city's biggest Pujas are held in parks, including Bagbazar Sarbojanin, Maddox Square, Deshapriya Park, Kumartuli Park, Santosh Mitra Square, Jodhpur Park, Northern, Tala Park etc.

"There will be no fair or joyrides during Puja this year to ensure that there is ample open space and minimum crowding. Instead of 60 stalls, there will be some 15 to 20 odd stalls in the park where the Puja will be held," said Subir Chatterjee of Kumartuli Park Sarbojonin.

"We will seek permission from the Kolkata Police and other concerned authorities and few stalls will be set up maintaining COVID-19 safety protocols. Priority will be given to locals who want to set up stalls to have some sort of income during the festive days," said Sudipto Kumar, general secretary of Deshapriya Park Puja Committee.

All the 750 parks under the KMC have been closed since March after the imposition of the countrywide lockdown. In June, some of the parks were opened for morning walkers with restricted timings.