Bengal government’s guidelines for Durga Puja

October 6, 2021 | 3 min read

Like every year, the Bengal government has issued guidelines for holding Durga Puja, but like last year, this year too they are in accordance with COVID-19-related restrictions. Plus, the directives issued by the Calcutta High Court last year will be followed this year too.

The Bengal government has issued a series of rules for Durga Puja 2021, to be followed by the organising committees, drawing mostly on those issued for last year’s festivity. The state government had on Friday submitted to the Calcutta High Court that it wanted Durga Puja to be celebrated by adhering to all the COVID-19 norms of 2020, which the court accepted.

This year’s order, however, contains some concessions on customs and rituals like sindoor khela.

Here is a brief overview of the guidelines outlined in the notification:

Pushpanjali, distribution of prasad and sindoor khela should be “in smaller groups with spaced out timings in a staggered way”.
should be organised “in a planned manner and to the extent possible in smaller groups with spaced out timings in a staggered way,” the notification says.
For pushpanjali, people should bring flowers themselves to avoid chances of infection from the sharing of flowers.
No cultural events should be held outside pandals or along roads to prevent gathering.
The Durga Puja Carnival will not be held.
Inaugurations and immersion ceremonies “should be low-key and minimalist events … [w]herever possible, inauguration should be in virtual mode”.
There will be no immersion processions.
For immersion, “[n]o-crowd principle shall be followed”, to adhere to which, “p]re-planned allocation of time of ghat slots to different puja committees should be strictly adhered to”.
Judges for Puja award programmes should be allowed into pandals only in small convoys, comprising of two cars at the most
Only one group of judges should be allowed at any one time.
Puja committees and awards organisers have been advised to organise “virtual” visits by judges wherever possible; in-person visits have been allowed between 10 am and 3 pm.
Pandals have to be open and spacious with separate entry and exit points.
If it becomes “essential” to have a closed ceiling, the sides will have to be kept open.
Adequate space and arrangements must be made inside the pandals and in the pandal premises for ensuring physical distancing
People inside pandals must wear masks. Additionally, “… organisers shall make adequate arrangements for distribution of masks in close vicinity of the pandal to the visitors”.
Similarly, “[u]se and availability of hand sanitiser” should “be made compulsory”.
“Concerned authorities” should arrange for online permission for the Puja committees.
The civic and fire services fees have been waived for all registered organisers.

In addition to the guidelines issued by the government, the curbs imposed by the court last year will be in force this year as well.

Therefore, no visitors will be allowed inside pandals, and areas within 10 metres of a big pandal and 5 metres of a small pandal have to be barricaded and demarcated as no-entry zones.

As per the court’s directions last year, this year too, only 25 people—members of the respective puja committees—will be allowed inside big pandals, and 15 such people inside smaller pandals.

There will, however, be no bar on pandal-hopping. This time, the government has withdrawn the night curfew restrictions (normally applicable from 11 pm to 5 am) from October 10 to 20.