Several big Durga Puja organisers in Kolkata and police said on Navami that the biggest challenge they faced this year was to manage the crowd outside pandals.
Entry inside the pandals across the city has been restricted following a court order because of the pandemic. However, on Thursday, crowds were spotted swelling outside the barricades placed to restrict entry into the pandals.
“It is difficult to manage the crowd outside the barricades as people are coming and standing to catch a glimpse of the idol from outside and consuming more time by clicking selfies with the pandal in the background,” said a police officer posted outside Ekdalia Evergreen.
Several police officers cited helplessness. They said they could only request people not to crowd outside the barricades but could not enforce it because the existing court order is only to restrict people’s entry into pandals and not outside the barricades.
Thousands of people have been gathering outside the pandal barricades since Chaturthi but cops said they were expecting maximum turnout on Navami evening.
Visitors to the Baghbazar pandal on Thursday. Gautam Bose
Crowds were spotted outside the barricades of the Baghbazar Sarbajanin Puja pandal, Chetla Agrani pandal, Naktala Udayan Sangha, to name a few, on Navami evening.
“We are requesting all the visitors to keep moving so that there is no constant gathering outside the barricades. But practically, it is extremely difficult to disperse the crowd as everyone wants to see the idols inside,” said an officer in Bagbazar.
Police officers said they were requesting pandal hoppers to keep their masks on but many were seen taking them off while taking photographs.
An official of Singhi Park Durga Puja committee said they had kept masks and hand sanitisers for distribution among people who were visiting the pandal without masks.
“Some people are claiming they have forgotten their masks at home. We are not questioning them. We are simply handing out masks to them and abiding by the court order to ensure that all who come near the pandal should wear masks,” said one of the organisers.
Following the closure of the Sreebhumi Puja pandal on Ashtami night, many who were planning to visit the Burj Khalifa pandal were forced to change plans and visited the other city pandals.
“I had thought that I would visit the Sreebhumi pandal on Navami. But as it was closed for visitors I changed my plans and went pandal hopping in south Calcutta instead,” said Nabamita Chatterjee, a resident of Anandapur.
A senior police officer of the traffic department said traffic movement along VIP Road and airport-bound roads have been slow since Chaturthi as a major part of the pandal-hopping crowd was visiting the Sreebhumi pandal. The pattern, however, changed from Navami morning after the pandal was closed down to the public.
“Today, traffic has been relatively heavier in other pockets of EM Bypass and adjoining roads like Rashbehari Avenue, Maniktala Main Road, CIT Road, AJC Bose Road and Central Avenue,” said the officer.
It appeared that the crowd that was targeting the Sreebhumi Puja in Lake Town was dispersed on Navami, he added.