Govt employees rejoice: 13-day Puja leave returns in 2018

Kolkata: The state government employees are going to get a 13-day holiday at a stretch during Durga Puja.

However, the number of holidays at a stretch would go up to 16 if one takes a leave for a day on October 26.

The state government has declared that the Puja holiday will be from October 15 onwards this year. It is a Monday and marks Sasthi. Interestingly, with a weekend just before the holiday, festivities will begin from Saturday itself, which is October 13 and will continue till October 25, with Lakshmi Puja on October 24 in between.

Since October 25 is a Thursday, the holiday will get extended for 16 days till October 28 if one just takes a leave on Friday that is October 26.

There was holiday during the Puja for 13 days last year as well, while in 2016 there was a holiday of 11 days, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announcing holiday on Panchami that year, as a gift to the state government employees for joining their work on a day of bandh called by the Left trade unions.

It may be mentioned that the state government has taken several steps for the benefit of its employees and many of them have planned a vacation at this time as they have got a holiday for so many days at a stretch.

The total number of holidays for state government employees in 2018 is 35 days. It was 27 in 2017. The Chief Minister had earlier made the announcement of an eight day increase in holidays, in a conference of the Paschim Banga Rajya Sarkar Karmachari Federation at Nazrul Mancha.