Mamata to hold Durga Puja meet on July 31

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will chair a preparatory meeting for Durga Puja 2025 at Netaji Indoor Stadium on July 31. The session will be attended by representatives of community Puja committees from Kolkata and surrounding areas, along with senior officials from Kolkata Police, the state Police, the Information and Cultural Affairs department, the Power department, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and other key stakeholders. Every year, the Chief Minister announces a grant for the Puja committees as well as a waiver in power tariff and the total number of holidays for celebrating Durga Puja.

The Puja organisers are hopeful of similar announcements from her this year also. “Last year, Didi increased the grant to Durga Puja organising committees in the state from Rs 70,000 to Rs 85,000 and had promised to increase the same further to Rs 1 lakh this year. We are hopeful that she will keep her promise,” an organiser from a big-ticket Puja in North Kolkata said. The concession on power consumed by pandals was also hiked from 66 per cent to 75 per cent in 2024. The organisers are hopeful of a rise in this concession too. “We have just received communication regarding the meeting of the Chief Minister. We will speak among our members and decide whether any specific appeal we have to make to Didi during the meeting,” said Saswata Bose, general secretary of Forum for Durgotsav, an umbrella organisation of over 400 community Pujas in the city. Over 34,000 Durga Pujas are organised in areas under the jurisdiction of the West Bengal Police, while around 2,500 are held within Kolkata Police limits. Moreover, over 1,700 Pujas are organised by women-run committees. The dates for immersion, as well as the date for holding the Red Road Carnival, are expected to be announced during the meeting.