The organisers of Durga Puja along the stretch between Sheikhpura Mor and Jagdeo Path want to celebrate this year’s festival in a grand way one last time.

Work on a 2.275-km flyover in the area has begun. Once completed, the proposed flyover will leave little room for the organisers to celebrate Durga Puja the way they have been for decades.

There are around a dozen puja samitis along the Sheikhpura Mor-Jagdeo Path stretch where the flyover is being constructed at an expenditure of Rs 170 crore. The construction of the four-lane flyover is expected to be over by three years. It would be 25m wide.

During Durga Puja, the stretch of Bailey Road starting from Sheikhpura to Ashiana is the main hub of revelry and attracts a huge crowd.

“This would be the last time when we will celebrate the festival in a grand way. The construction of the flyover is on. From next year, we will not be in a position to think big,” said Khajpura Shiv Mandir Puja Samiti secretary Shravan Kumar.

“Last year, the height of our pandal was 85ft. We have decided to make our pandal 95-ft high this time. We will also increase the width of the pandal proportionately. Our aim is to ensure that the pandal can be seen even from a distance,” he added.

Kumar said the puja organised by the Khajpura Shiv Mandir Puja Samiti has always been a prime attraction of revellers over the years and the pandal always recorded a footfall of thousands on each day of the four-day festivity.

Organisers of several other puja samitis in the area, where the flyover is coming up, also fear that they too would lose popularity once the facility is completed because facade of the pandals would be blocked by the flyover.

Prakash Singh, the president of Moon Club Durga Puja Samiti, is one of them. He said: “I have heard that the flyover has been designed in a way that its pillar would take minimum space. But once the flyover is constructed, we will not be able to increase the height of our pandal the way we want to. Besides, the flyover will block the front view of the pandal, which is very popular for the revellers.”

He added: “Bihar Rajya Pul Nirmal Nigam Ltd officials have started digging the road just behind our pandal. We don’t know what’s going to happen next year. May be this is the last time we are organising the festival in such a grand way. We spent around Rs 4 lakh on the pandal and the idol last year.”

Singh said: “This year, our budget has crossed the Rs 5 lakh-mark. This shows that the residents of the area have been very generous with their subscriptions for the puja. They also want us to celebrate the festival in a big way, may be for the last time.”

Similarly, members of Sri Sri Durga Puja Samiti Mahavir Sthan, Raja Bazar, are also worried about the future of their puja.

“People from various parts of the city and also far-flung places come to the area to see our pandal. Revellers throng the road during the puja days, particularly the final two days. Traffic virtually comes to a standstill during the four days of the festivity. The road belongs to the revellers. However, we fear that all this would be a thing of past,” said Mohammad Arshad Jamal, the secretary of Sri Sri Durga Puja Samiti Mahavir Sthan.

“The main attraction of our pandal is its size. But it will be lost once the flyover is completed because it will be very difficult for the revellers to have a view of the pandal,” he added.