Kolkata Police will impose traffic restrictions across several parts of the city from 8 October afternoon to 16 October morning to manage idol transportation, crowd movement and vehicle congestion ahead of and during Durga Puja. The measures include diversions, parking bans and restrictions on goods vehicles on key roads.
According to the police notification reported by Anandabazar, the special arrangements will begin two days before Mahalaya and continue until the morning after Sashthi. Vehicles carrying idols from Kumartuli towards Rabindra Sarani will be diverted through Jatindramohan Avenue, Raja Nabakrishna Street and Aurobindo Sarani. On their return or onward movement, idol-carrier vehicles will have to use Madanmohan Tala, Bagbazar Street and Strand Bank Road.
All goods vehicles other than those carrying idols will be barred from entering Rabindra Sarani during the eight-day period. Such vehicles will be directed to alternative routes including Strand Road, Nimtala Ghat Street, B.K. Pal Avenue, Jatindramohan Avenue and Girish Avenue.
Parking will also be prohibited on the stretch of Strand Bank Road between Shobhabazar Street and D.C. Banerjee Road. The restriction is intended to keep the route clear for vehicles transporting idols, which will be moving through the northern parts of the city as puja preparations intensify.
Further traffic controls will come into effect from Tritiya, or 13 October, as the city enters the main Durga Puja period. Kolkata Police has identified several major roads where goods vehicles will be prohibited during specified times. Vehicles involved in emergency services will be exempt from these restrictions.
Traffic controls will be imposed around the Ganga ghats and on Strand Road from early morning until night on Mahalaya. Police have also identified several roads and areas where roadside parking will not be allowed during the puja period. These include the Kalighat area, Garden Reach Road and Bagbazar Road, among other locations.
Restrictions will continue on roads leading to immersion ghats from the day after Dashami until before Lakshmi Puja. Police have said that traffic may be regulated on any road if conditions require it during the festival.
The notification comes as Kolkata prepares for a period of unusually high pedestrian, public transport and private vehicle movement. The city’s puja traffic plan therefore combines fixed diversions for idol transportation with broader restrictions that can be applied according to crowd and road conditions. The police notification does not specify a single citywide route plan for every puja day; instead, controls will vary by location, time and operational requirement.
