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Agartala, Oct. 19: Puja organisers are busy putting finishing touches to pandals and idols as Tripura prepares to welcome Goddess Durga.
According to data available with Agartala Municipal Council and 15 nagar panchayat authorities, 2,159 community Pujas are being organised in the state this year, including 81 new Pujas. Agartala will play host to 351 community Pujas. “These figures are not final because some community Pujas are being organised without obtaining permission from AMC or nagar panchayat authorities,” AMC chairman Prafullajit Sinha said.
The organisers have tried to introduce novelties this year, too, to make their Puja unique.
Samhati, a 66-year-old club at Ramnagar here, has installed 52-feet-tall clay idols of the deities.
Another leading club of north Agartala, Shanti Kami Sangha, will show Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves in 3-D sound at their pandal on all five days of the festival.
Kunjaban Sevak Sangha is putting up a replica of the famous Somnath temple in Gujrat as their pandal. They are even recreating the ambience of the Arabian sea.
But the most expensive community Puja is being organised by Shantipara Aikatan Sangha with a budget of Rs 60 lakh. “Our entire pandal is made of costly teak with carvings. Outside the pandal we will create fountains and various facets of natural beauty through lighting and decorations,” said a club member.
Almost all the leading clubs of Agartala have hired artisans and decorators from West Bengal to add shine and glitter to their Pujas.
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