2,318 pujas apply on Sahaj portal, 270 new among them

Kolkata: It has been less than two weeks since the Sahaj portal – that allows one-point registration for Durga pujas in Kolkata along with Bengal – opened. According to Lalbazar, already 270 new Durga Puja permissions have been sought, with inspections over in most cases and a few already permitted to hold pujas.Almost all divisions have seen applications for new pujas, but Jadavpur and East division lead the way. Behala division and south Kolkata will also see a few “big” pujas like Allen Park in Park Street debut this year.Overall, 2,318 were registered till last Thursday on Sahaj portal so far, with another 10-odd days to go.Organisers and police claim these are mainly apartment pujas that are planning to leave their mark this year. “The added areas are witnessing several new complexes, some of whom had been planning to host a puja for the past three years. Several of these are exclusively being organized by women,” said Sandipan Banerjee of Forum For Durgotsab and the convener of Behala Natun Dal.Last year, a total of 2,936 organisers had applied for permission, the highest ever. Cops believe these numbers are likely to be challenged this year. Sources said that the city had hosted 2,757 Durga pujas in 2023 and 2,701 in 2022. The final numbers are expected to be firmed up a day prior to Mahalaya.The physical inspection of pandals by policemen is set to begin from Monday in Kolkata.The Jadavpur division last year saw as many as 28 new pujas, making the area’s number by far the highest number of community pujas in the city. There are at least a dozen new applications this year. “From 625 community pujas in 2021, the number of applications has gone up to 653 this year till now,” stated a police officer at Lalbazar. The Behala division hosted 561 pujas last year. The Eastern Suburban division hosted 327 pujas.The numbers are likely to rise even across Bengal. Over 43,000 pujas were held across Bengal, reaffirming the festival’s status as the state’s biggest cultural and religious celebration. Since Kolkata’s Durga Puja was inscribed on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021, Durga Puja has evolved into a global cultural attraction, drawing increasing numbers of domestic and international tourists.According to an estimate, overall, an estimated two crore people—including residents, domestic tourists and international visitors—are expected to join in pandal-hopping across Kolkata during the festival, making it one of the world’s largest public cultural gatherings.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in KolkataStay updated with the latest Kolkata news. Download the TOI App.