Pandal road-choke agony starts early

KOLKATA: The countdown to Durga Puja has begun and so has the grind that comes with it.
Purna Das Road resident Nandini Shome considers herself lucky that she does not live in Hindustan Park, an upscale locality that remains sandwiched between two competing pandals at either end of the 16-ft road.
“Hindustan Park remains inaccessible for more than two months.Construction of pandals begins over a month-and-a-half before the Puja and continues to block the road till a fortnight after. Driving in and out becomes a pain. Businesses located on the stretch also take a hit,” Shome rued. While Hindustan Park Sarbojanin has grabbed 90% of the road with barely enough space for a person to walk by, Purbachal Club at the other end has been more generous and left about a quarter of the road.
With still over 45 days to go for Puja, organizers are vying with each other to grab a bigger chunk of the road. No one seems to care that a Calcutta high court order had in 2008 imposed restrictions on encroachment by pandals.
Hearing a PIL on a Durga Puja pandal blocking RK Chatterjee Street in Kasba, Justice Sanjib Banerjee had stipulated that at least 8-ft of road must be left free for vehicles to ply. But for big Puja organizers, the order doesn't simply exist.
At 64 Palli on Sachin Mukherjee Road, the pandal occupies three-fourth of the road. Again, the space left is less than the stipulated 8 ft. The pandal’s height too is way over the 30-ft restriction that Justice Banerjee had imposed. Ditto for 66 Palli near Badamtala Ashar Sangha, which has left just enough space for a vehicle to pass.
“People come in lakhs to see the intricate work in the pandals. It may appear a thing of pride for residents of the locality but it is actually a pain. Normal life gets severely disrupted,” said a resident, unwilling to be quoted fearing retribution from the influential dadas who organize the puja.
Near Kalighat temple, Juba Maitri puja committee has blocked an entire flank of Mahim Halder Street. According to locals, the encroachment is greater this year because the committee is celebrating its golden jubilee. Tridhara Sammelani at Manohar Pukur Road has also occupied an entire flank.
These aren’t the only puja committees that feature on the rule-flouting list. Several more will do so as Puja draws near. What is shocking is that none of the puja committees has yet taken permission from either Kolkata Municipal Corporation or Kolkata Police.
Kolkata Police deputy commissioner (traffic) V Solomon Nesakumar said he was unaware of the encroachments but would look into them. KMC member mayor-in-council (parks) Debasis Kumar, whose department gives permission to organizers, said: “We have not given permission to any puja committee. I will look into the excess encroachments and take timely action.”
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