Several puja committees have decided to scale down their preparations for the rituals so that fewer committee members will be required to be present inside the No-Entry zone.

Many committees have decided that the bhog will be prepared in smaller quantities compared with previous years. Other offerings, including fruits, too, will be scaled down so fewer people are required for washing and peeling.

Only those who are thorough with the puja rituals will be allowed inside the No-Entry zone to aid the priests.

“Till last year around 450-500 people would get community bhog every day,” said Sudipta Kumar of Deshapriya Park puja committee.

“This year we have brought it down to the bare minimum. A very small amount of bhog will be prepared for the deity. The handful of people who will be involved in the rituals have been tested for Covid-19.”

Throughout Wednesday afternoon and evening, many committees met to discuss the revised high court order before deciding on how to go about the basic puja rituals.

A day before Sashthi, a division bench of Justices Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee of the high court passed an order allowing big pujas (of pandal size 300 square metre or more, excluding the dais for the idol) to draw up a list of 60 people, including dhakis, who will be allowed inside the No-Entry zone. However, only 45 persons will be allowed inside the zone at a time.

Singhi Park in Gariahat on Wednesday evening

“We will have around 15-20 of our members and they will participate in the basic rituals,” said Joydeep Saha of Belgachhia Sadharan Durgotsav at Tallah Park in north Calcutta. “We used to prepare around 50kg of bhog every day. This year it will be the bare minimum for the Goddess.”

“We have decided that women who know the puja rituals and have helped the priests perform them will be present inside the No-Entry zone,” said Rahul Shaw of Ajeya Sanghati of Haridevpur.

Organisers of many big pujas said their daily offerings to the Goddess in previous years would include at least 5 to 7kg of several varieties of fruits. At least 12 people would be engaged to handle the offerings.

“Since a large number of our senior members would probably want to stay away, the offerings this year would be less. Just a handful of members will be enough to handle that volume,” said Saswata Basu of Hatibagan Sarbojonin Durgotsav Committee. “From fruits to bhog, everything will be on a much lower scale.”

Many puja committees discussed whether the preparation of the bhog and other offerings could be done at a place away from the puja premises. That will minimise the number of people who need to be present in the pandal.

“With this arrangement, we can have a full strength at work but far away from the No-Entry zone,” said Sandip Chakrabarty of Badamtala Ashar Sangha. “We are trying to find a way so that just three of our 150-odd members can be inside the pandal to help the two priests.”

Some puja committees who don’t have this option have decided to draw up rosters with men and women who are aware of the details of puja rituals. “We are telling our members to let the women take over. We will wait outside,” said Sanjay Majumder of State Bank Park in Thakurpukur.