Kolkata: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced that there will be a complete ban on liquor on the day of Maha Ashtami and also asked the bars not to serve alcoholic drinks on that day.
Notably, this is the first time any Bengal government had announced a complete ban on liquor during a day of Durga Puja.
Durga Puja restrictions announced
In a meeting with the Durga Puja committees, the West Bengal Chief Minister also banned the use of DJ music during immersion processions.
The state government also called off the post-Puja carnival, an event introduced by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
“There will be a grand celebration on Mahalaya at the Eden Gardens. The state Tourism and Information and Cultural Affairs departments will jointly organise a major programme at Eden Gardens to mark the beginning of the festive season. The programme will feature a four-hour drone and fireworks show. A special programme will also be held at Digha after Mahalaya, while cultural programmes will be organised for two days in six cities across the state,” said Adhikari.
Free electricity and puja grants
Adhikari also mentioned that electricity will be given to the puja committees completely free of cost.
“Rs. One lakh will be provided to the puja committees. Those who are not willing to take the amount are also welcomed. In the previous tenure, those who didn’t take the doles offered by the state government were termed as opposition. Puja committees won’t be allowed to perform pujas before Mahalaya,” stated Adhikari.
The West Bengal Chief Minister also said the government would not allow roads and national highways to be unnecessarily blocked in the name of organising pujas and also urged that the immersion process of Durga idols be done before Lakshmi Puja.
Also Watch:
BJP responds to food debate
Meanwhile, with a food controversy threatening to acquire political overtones ahead of Bengal’s first Durga Puja under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, state party chief and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya on Monday sought to draw a clear line that the BJP would not dictate what Bengalis eat and dietary choices cannot be imposed from outside the state.
