Kolkata: Jagadhatri Puja in Chandannagore will be held following the COVID-19 protocols.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting held between senior officials
of Chandannagore Police Commisionerate and representatives of the Central Jagadhatri Puja Committee on Wednesday.
Nilratan Mukherjee, a spokesperson for the Puja committee said: "At big and small pandals the visitors will not be allowed beyond 10 meters and five meters respectively. Overhead gates will not be erected and the roads will be kept clear. The visitors will have to put on masks and wash their hands with sanitizers." In Chandannagore and Bhadreshwar a total of 171 community pujas are organised.
Manab Das, another spokesperson of the committee said that it was not yet decided as how many Puja committees would organise the Puja in ghat. He said more talks will be held between the administration and the Puja committee to ensure smooth holding of the Puja. Decorative lights of Chandannagore will be put up in some of the big pandals.
"The companies that produce these lights are in real bad shape due to the pandemic, hence to support them the lights would be put up," Das said.
Lakhs of people visit Chandannagore to watch the lights and pandal decorations every year. Some of the big Pujas are inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the past. It has not yet been decided whether she will virtually inaugurate the Pujas from Kolkata this year.
The lights of Chandannagore were not used during the Durga Puja in Kolkata as all the Puja committees had cut down the budget due to the pandemic. Babu Pal, a spokesperson for the light manufacturing units said the industry is going through a dark patch and hoped that in 2021 things will look up.