Over 100 Durga idols will roll down Red Road on Sunday evening as part of the Puja carnival, featuring tableaux, processions, and cultural performances.
The carnival, first held in 2016, is scheduled to begin around 4pm on Sunday and continue for around four hours, turning the stretch between Fort William and Akashvani Bhavan into an open-air stage. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will preside over the event, which draws thousands of spectators each year, including tourists, diplomats, and residents.
On Saturday night, organisers were engaged in final preparations — decorating trailer trucks that will carry the idols and rehearsing their performances. Simultaneously, workers were giving finishing touches to the stage and galleries on Red Road. Many puja organisers whose trucks are scheduled early in the parade had already moved their vehicles to Kidderpore Road by Saturday night, while the rest will do so on Sunday.
Police arrangements
Sources at Lalbazar said a police officer has been assigned to each participating puja committee. “They are coordinating with the organisers, helping them with parking, timing and other logistics. Each puja has been given a token number, on the basis of which they will queue up near Red Road for their turn in the parade,” said a senior officer.
The vehicles have designated parking zones around the Hastings intersection and Kidderpore Road, from where they will be brought forward according to their slot.
Traffic restrictions
To manage the footfall and vehicular flow, Kolkata Police has announced extensive traffic curbs:
- Red Road will be closed to all vehicles from 12am to 9am on Sunday for “infrastructural work”. Traffic will be regulated from 9am to 2pm.
- The movement of goods vehicles (except immersion trucks) will be restricted from 12am to 3pm along roads like AJC Bose Road (Exide crossing to Hastings crossing), Dufferin Road, Lovers Lane, and Red Road. Existing restrictions on all goods vehicles related to Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja will resume after 3pm.
- Kidderpore Road, from the Hastings crossing to Lovers Lane, will be closed to traffic from 2pm onward, except for vehicles connected to the carnival or using Vidyasagar Setu.
- Hospital Road (north-bound) will also be closed from its intersection with AJC Bose Road after 2pm till the end of the programme.
- The following roads will be closed to vehicles from 2pm till the end of the event: Red Road, Lovers Lane, Queensway, Plassey Gate Road, Esplanade Ramp.
- Traffic may be diverted from any arterial or feeder roads by the traffic police, as and when deemed necessary.
Spectators planning to attend the carnival have been advised to move along: AJC Bose Road, Chowringhee Road, Outram Road, Mayo Road or RR Avenue, instead of Kidderpore Road.
Parking curbs
Parking will be prohibited from noon until dispersal (or longer, as needed) on the following roads: Government Place West (RR Avenue to Esplanade Row West), Chowringhee Road, JL Nehru Road, Cathedral Road, Queensway, Mayo Road, Strand Road, Bentinck Street (western flank, between CR Avenue and GC Avenue), RN Mukherjee Road (both sides), Hare Street, Old Court House Street (western side between Govt Place (N) and Larkin Lane).
Metro services
For the carnival, Metro Railway will run six additional trains each on the Blue Line and Green Line after normal service hours.
On the Blue Line, additional trains will run at 20-minute intervals:
- From Shahid Khudiram (Briji): 10.03pm, 10.23pm, 10.43pm
- From Dakshineswar: 9.53pm, 10.13pm, 10.33pm
On the Green Line, additional trains will leave both Sector V and Howrah Maidan at: 10.20pm, 10.40pm, and 11.00pm.
The nearest stations for carnival-goers are Esplanade and Park Street.
Weather alert
The Met office has forecast partly cloudy skies. Light to moderate showers are not ruled out, said a Met official.