Moderate start to online Puja application

Kolkata: The number of online application for Durga Puja is much lesser than the previous year with around 15 days to go for the Bengali's biggest festival to start.

According to sources, in past 48 hours after the online permission procedure started, around 220 applications were submitted before the police whereas the figure on the first day of the online permission last year was around 240. Last year around 2500 puja committees applied and subsequently were granted permission last year.

This year, cops expect the number will be around the last year's figure. The flow of application is assumed to speed up by next week. Sources informed that as several puja committees are going through financial crunch, they are taking some time before applying for necessary permission.

According to Kolkata Police, they have already started planning about arrangements for the puja days. Though each year the planning is being made several months before the puja, this year the scenario is different owing to the pandemic situation. Depending on the same, necessary measures have already been planned by the police.