Puja crowd at marketplaces chokes arteries of city's heart

Kolkata: The city seemed to have soaked in the spirit of Durga puja celebration with a large number of people thronging various market places and shopping malls on Sunday.

As it was the last Sunday before Mahalaya, the people in the city did not want to miss the opportunity to check out favourite stores. All the markets witnessed an unprecedented surge in footfall and enthusiasm among the people.

People started thronging various shops from the morning while many other shoppers preferred to go out for the shopping malls towards the evening, to avoid the scorching sun.

As it did not rain till late evening, many had come out of their houses to buy new clothes for their near and dear ones. All the Esplanade-bound Metros were more crowded than on normal days. Most of the shoppers were seen getting down at Esplanade Metro station, one of the favourite destinations for the city dwellers.

All the roads in the city may lead to the city's shopping destinations in the next couple of days as the Puja will come closer. However, the countdown had already begun with Puja only 12 days away. Shasthi falls on October this year. Durga Puja is one the biggest festival for Bengalis and people wear new clothes, shoes and love to have good food while indulging in pandal hopping.

Dharmatala, New Market area, Park Street, Gariahat and Shyambazar are among the places that witnessed maximum number of footfall of buyers on Sunday. Various shopping malls situated in various parts of the city also attracted crowd. Many shops and restaurants in the city and its adjoining areas were decked up to woo the buyers.

Almost all the shops have come up with lucrative offers to attract more people. Many road-side eateries and restaurants in Dharmatala area, Shyambazar and Gariahat had brisk business as people took stepped into the stalls to have some food. Apart from the various branded shops, the roadside stalls were found selling various items in New

Market, Gariahat and Lindsay Street.

The city police have come with additional arrangements. Extra police forces were deployed at all the important places to check any untoward incidents.

Kolkata Police has demarcated a particular place for passerby at different locations, with the roads remaining clear. Bipul Sarkar, who came for shopping at New Market from Belghoria in North 24-Parganas along with his family members, said they were happy to see the police arrangement in various places in the city.