Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has announced a package of civic, environmental and safety measures for Durga Puja 2026, including a waiver of land rent on government plots used by puja committees, a ban on single-use plastics and temporary ponds for idol immersion. The preparations cover more than 170 puja committees across the city and are being coordinated with the Commissionerate Police.
The measures were announced during a coordination meeting led by Mayor Sulochana Das. The state government, under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, has decided to completely waive land rent for government plots and spaces used by puja committees. The decision is intended to reduce the financial burden on organisers using public land for festival arrangements.
The BMC has directed puja committees to ensure that all mandaps are eco-friendly. Single-use plastic and polythene bags will not be permitted in pandals or in the surrounding areas. The directive places responsibility on organisers and local authorities to manage festival activity without adding to the city’s waste burden.
The civic body is also constructing temporary artificial ponds for idol immersion. All immersions will have to take place in these ponds rather than directly in the Daya and Kuakhai rivers. The arrangement is aimed at limiting pollution in the two water bodies during the festival period.
Sanitation planning includes the installation of additional dustbins near puja pandals and the deployment of dedicated sanitation workers for morning and evening cleaning shifts. The measures are intended to address the increase in waste and footfall around major celebration sites during the festive period.
The BMC has also begun repairing potholes and damaged arterial roads affected by recent monsoon rains. Streetlights across the capital are being repaired, while temporary lighting arrangements are planned for darker lanes to support safer movement at night. These works are linked to the expected movement of residents and visitors between different pandals.
Safety arrangements are being planned jointly by the BMC, the Commissionerate Police and puja organisers. The coordination includes traffic management, the installation of CCTV cameras and crowd-control strategies. The authorities have not provided details in the supplied announcement on the number of cameras, the locations of temporary ponds or the specific roads scheduled for repair.
The measures show how a major festival places simultaneous demands on municipal services, public roads, lighting, waste collection, policing and environmental management. For residents, the immediate impact will depend on how consistently the restrictions, cleaning schedules, road repairs and traffic arrangements are implemented at individual pandals.
The BMC, police and puja committees are expected to continue coordinating the arrangements ahead of Durga Puja 2026. Further operational details, including specific immersion locations and traffic plans, have not been provided in the announcement.
