Behind festive magic, Kolkata’s machinery at work

You can smell Puja in the air. Shiuli blossoms line the pavements, bright banners stretch across crossings, and the skeletons of pandals rise like giant puzzles waiting to be completed. Durga Puja, the city’s biggest carnival of faith and artistry, is here. But while the revellers cannot wait for the dhaak to reverberate through the air and the goddess to return home with her children, an army of civic, port and police officials is quietly at work, oiling the city’s machinery to make sure the festivities unfold without a hitch.

At the heart of this preparation is the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), which has chalked out an elaborate plan for the festival week, stretching from September 26 to October 5. The instructions are simple but stern: round-the-clock readiness. On the ground, that means 16 lorries parked across boroughs for instant road repairs, a road roller controlled from a central office, and over 500 sanitation vehicles—from conservancy trucks to sprinklers and bulldozers—working to keep streets spotless. To fight waterlogging, more than 580 pumps will be pressed into service. And on the ghats, hydraulic cranes will stand ready to lift away heaps of floral offerings once the idols have been immersed.

The preparations stretch far beyond roads and drains. Ten ambulances and six hearses will be stationed at strategic points to deal with medical emergencies. Relief supplies—tarpaulins, blankets, garments, disaster kits—are being packed for swift distribution. Demolition squads equipped with gas cutters will be on alert for unsafe buildings, while tree-cutting teams with ladders and lorries will wait to clear storm-toppled branches. As twilight sets in, floodlights and generator-backed illumination will turn streets, parks and immersion ghats into glowing stages for the festival. Police units will crack down on illegal parking, and water tanks will be on standby to make up for any scarcity. Behind the scenes, officers and engineers will work without leave, connected to a central control room where residents can phone in complaints day or night.

Beyond civic limits, the Hooghly, too, is getting its share of care. The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata has floated a Rs 48.37 lakh tender to ensure the river remains unclogged after idol immersions. The plan is as meticulous as it is massive: barricading the ghats with ropes, deploying mechanised boats and pontoon-mounted cranes, and placing 20 workers with supervisors at each site. The cranes, capable of working up to 14 hours a day, will fish idols out of the water, stack them on the banks, and hand them over to recyclers. The operation, to be carried out at Baje Kadamtala, St. Judges and Nimtola ghats from October 2–5 and October 21–24, will involve coordination with the KMC, police, pollution control board, and will be supervised by environmentalist Subhas Dutta.

On the roads, the city’s traffic police are just as vigilant. At Lalbazar, officers have ordered all 26 traffic guards to ensure that no pandal construction blocks CCTV cameras or chokes roads. Surveillance is non-negotiable. The police have also drawn up a list of 238 battered stretches—including Park Circus near Bridge 4, Diamond Harbour Road and parts of BT Road—that must be urgently repaired before pandal-hopping crowds spill onto the streets. Already, 131 stretches have been patched, with work on the rest set to begin this week.

Even as the city prepares, the state government has added its festive touch. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that Puja committees will receive Rs 1.10 lakh each this year, a 30% hike from last year’s Rs 85,000. Clubs will also get an 80% rebate on electricity bills, with the CM urging organisers to focus more on crowd management than competition. Separate entry and exit routes at pandals, she advised, would keep visitors safe while keeping the festival joyous.

Durga Puja is a festival where faith, art and logistics walk hand in hand. As pandals rise, cranes wait at ghats, and civic trucks rev their engines, the city prepares for nights of brilliance and days of devotion. And in this great choreography of worship and work, Kolkata once again stands poised to show why, during Puja, it is not just a city but a celebration in itself.

ON DUTY

As the streets of Kolkata come alive during Durga Puja and the entire city seems to revel in celebration, the cops would be on the roads to ensure a safe and smooth festive experience. From Tritiya (September 25), traffic restrictions across the city will come into effect. About 27 roads in North Kolkata, 25 in Central, 25 in South and South-East, along with 16 each in South Suburban and South-West Kolkata will have no entry, except for local property-line vehicles. Vehicular traffic on 170 thoroughfares will be regulated.

Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma has urged Durga Puja organisers not to pay heed to rumours during the festive days and assured citizens of elaborate safety and traffic arrangements. The Kolkata Police are also strengthening security infrastructure, such as deployment of vehicle-mounted X-ray baggage scanners, ahead of the festive season. Kolkata Police has also advised citizens to check its website and Facebook page for regular updates and plan their journeys well in advance, especially while travelling to railway stations or the airport.