A steady stream of visitors was back at Lake Town’s Sreebhumi pandal, themed on Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, on Saturday evening. The 145-ft tall pandal has been built with 6,000-odd acrylic sheets to create a lookalike of the world’s tallest building.
The pandal had to be shut to visitors on Wednesday night, Ashtami, following a stampede-like situation. Several pilots had complained about lights from the pandal’s laser show interfering with aircraft. On Saturday evening, most of the lights were back on, including some laser lights on the lower tiers.
Sujit Bose, fire and emergency services minister, who is the chief patron of the puja, said they decided to turn on the lights as “entry for outsiders” had been barred.
“Only residents of the Sreebhumi area are being allowed inside. We are allowing them to bring in their guests as well but no outsiders are being allowed. We held a meeting with police and they gave us permission to switch on the lights as there is a very light crowd,” he said.
A police contingent posted near the pandal’s entry gate tried to ensure that only residents of the area could enter but there was a sizeable crowd inside. An officer of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate said that many residents had called their family and friends and were escorting them inside.