Howrah has recorded 1,476 Durga Puja celebrations this year, but only 444 applications had been submitted through the state government’s Sahaj portal when city police held a coordination meeting with organisers on Monday, roughly two weeks before the festival. Officials warned that puja committees must apply through the portal to receive permission.
The gap was raised at a meeting organised by Howrah City Police at Sarat Sadan, attended by district magistrate P. Deepap Priya, police commissioner Akhilesh Chaturvedi and senior officials. Representatives of CESC, the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company, the fire department, railway police and the Howrah Municipal Corporation also took part.
Police said the number of pujas had increased from 1,400 last year to 1,476 this year. However, only 444 applications had been received through the government portal by the time of the meeting. Some organisers attributed the low number to difficulties using the new portal.
Police commissioner Chaturvedi told organisers that state government guidelines would have to be followed and that permission would not be granted if an application was not submitted. He also said organisers could visit any police station for assistance if they faced problems using the Sahaj portal.
The meeting also set out arrangements and restrictions for immersion. Police said DJs would not be permitted during immersion, while idols would have to be immersed between October 21 and 24. Organisers were advised to deploy sufficient volunteers instead of relying on cranes for the immersion process.
The Howrah Municipal Corporation will arrange trolley-based immersion facilities at Ramakrishnapur Ghat, as it did last year. At other ghats, the respective clubs will be responsible for making immersion arrangements with their own volunteers. The committees were also instructed to maintain adequate fire-safety measures.
The coordination meeting itself began amid disorder, according to the report, after a large number of members from puja committees entered despite instructions about attendance. Some attendees reportedly created a commotion after they could not find seats. The situation was brought under control after senior police officers intervened.
The involvement of police, the district administration, civic authorities, power utilities, fire services and railway police reflects the number of agencies required to manage a large festival in a dense urban district. For organisers, the immediate deadline is to complete the government application process and secure permission before the pujas begin. The next operational milestones are the application submissions, the October 21-24 immersion window and preparations at the designated ghats.
