Durga Puja is Bengal’s biggest festival.
Kolkata/ New Delhi:
A day before Bengal’s biggest festival begins, the Calcutta High Court today eased its order which declared Durga Puja pandals “no-entry zones” for visitors amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. After 400 top Durga Puja organisers in the city appealed for a review of the order, the court today allowed entry of up to 45 people at a time.
The organisers approached the court on Tuesday as part of the Durgotsav Forum, an umbrella body of Durga Puja organisers.
Dhakis, or traditional drummers, are allowed to perform in “a limited number”, just outside the no-entry zone at each pandal, the court said today, adding the “list of persons allowed should be fixed on daily basis”. These lists will be put outside the pandals every day at 8 am.
While the larger pandals – which have an area of more than 300 sq metre – can list up to 60 people, not more than 45 people can be allowed at a time. The smaller pandals can list up to 15 people.
The court refused to pass any orders on appeals by Kalyan Banerjee, who appeared for the organisers, to allow two important rituals of the Puja – Anjali and Sindoor Khela.
