HAILAKANDI, Oct 5 � Puja fever has gripped the entire Hailakandi district from the day of Mahasasthi on Sunday. There are 38 Barowari pujas in Hailakandi town this year.
Durga pujas are also being organised in Lala town, Katlicherra, Algapur, Panchgram, Katakhal and various other places of the district. The total number of pujas in the district is more than one hundred. Vehicular traffic has also been restricted in both Hailakandi and Lala towns.
Public Health Engineering Minister Gautam Roy inaugurated some of the pujas in Hailakandi town on Sunday. He also announced the donation of Rs one lakh to Bijlee Sangha which has completed the 50th year of its establishment. The Sangha has constructed the pandal like Belurmath and their idol is in the form of Dhakeswari.
On the other hand, the main gate of the pandal of Yuva Samiti�s puja has been made in the form of Gour-Nitai temple of Santipur and the inside of the pandal has been decorated like the Rajbari of Puri. Various stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata have also been displayed on the plastic boards inside the pandal. The incident of the fire in Siliguri hospital and the activities of fire brigade staff have been displayed through illumination in the gate of the pandal. The women of the locality of Rabindra Sarani have organised the puja in Meghdoot Club this year and this has become the attraction of all sections of people. They have also organised various competitions for the children. Some of the puja committees like Tarun Sangha, Natunpara, Avadoot and Laxmisahar puja committees have also decorated their pandals and idols.
The district administration of Hailakandi has taken all sorts of precautionary measures to hold Durga Puja festival in Hailakandi district peacefully. A meeting of all the secretaries and presidents of Barowary Durga Puja committees alongwith the police and other officials was also organised recently at the conference hall of DC�s office here. The meeting was presided over by the Deputy Commissioner of Hailakandi, BC Borah.
Speaking in the meeting, SP Hemanta Bhattacharyya urged all the puja committees to remain vigilant during the festival period in order to maintain safety, security and peace. He asked all the puja committees to submit the names and addresses of all the secretaries and presidents of the puja committees to the police and also select some volunteers who will look after the puja pandals during the festive days. He asked all the puja committees to maintain discipline and peace on the day of Dashami because on the same day, the Haj pilgrims are scheduled to leave Hailakandi ceremonially. He said that there should not be any confrontation with the timings of both the events. He said that elaborate traffic arrangements would be made in Hailakandi and Lala town during the puja days. In order to avoid any kind of chaos, the SP asked the puja committees to prepare the pandals in such a way that there should be enough space separately for entry and exit and also there should be separate entry and exit for men and women. The SP also informed that a control room of police and civil administration would also be opened in the immersion ghat.
The members of puja committees requested the administration to take appropriate measures for the continuous supply of electricity and drinking water and the officials of these departments present in the meeting assured that they have already taken appropriate measures in this regard. The meeting decided to close all the country liquor and India-made foreign liquor bar, and shops on the day of Navami and Dashami and for this purpose, dry days would be declared.
The meeting unanimously constituted a three-member committee to judge the puja pandals regarding discipline, cleanliness, theme, decoration, etc. The first three puja pandals will be selected for the awards and these will be sponsored jointly by the district administration and police.
DC Borah, in his address, urged all the puja committees to maintain peace and harmony during the festival and he said that there should not be any clash between the timings of the departure of Haj pilgrims and immersion of Durga idols.
There are more than one hundred Barowary Durga puja being held in Hailakandi district. Of them, there are about 40 pujas in Hailakandi town and 26 in Lala town.
