Durga Puja: Entry for 'Kolkata Shree' awards are now open

Kolkata: Mayor Sovan Chatterjee on Monday announced the commencement of accepting entries for Kolkata Shree awards at Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters. Awards to the puja organisers will be given in as many as 11 categories, including — the best idol, the best ambience, the best lighting, the best cleanliness, the best environment, the best of the best and mayor's choice.

"Our panel of judges includes people who have excelled in different streams. They will visit different puja pandals and judge the best. I will myself visit a number of pandals as the Mayor's Choice awards is also an important award," Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said.

The KMC in association with CESC felicitates various Durga Puja organisers with 'Kolkata Shree' awards on Sasthi every year.

Chatterjee started this award from the year 2012 where the best pujas of 2011 were given prizes.

The entries for Kolkata Shree will be accepted till October 6 following which a team of experts from Government Art College will go and select more than 100 best pujas in the city on the basis of the entries.

"We have identified an agency who will capture videos of these pujas. A two-hour capsule will be made and aired at the KMC headquarters on the day of Panchami or Sasthi," a senior official said.

The Mayor will select more than 20 best pujas as per his choice.