FD Block

The puja retained its crown of being the top crowd puller this year as well. The pandal that paid tribute to earthquake-ravaged Nepal started drawing visitors right from Tritiya when the puja was inaugurated.
Secretary of FD Block Sarbojanin Puja Committee Subrata Bhattacharya claims a footfall of 16 lakh this year. “We had massive crowds from Tritiya itself. We had anticipated the rush and had employed 25 security guards round the clock to prevent any mishap. There was a sizeable police presence in and around our pandal that ensured smooth crowd management. We had also installed nine CCTV cameras under instructions from the police,” said Bhattacharya.

On all days of the Puja, long queues of cars could be spotted on Broadway, from FE Island till Netaji Island.
“Every year this puja attracts huge crowds so we had barricaded the approach road to FD Park from Chaturthi itself. On all days, queues extended from the gates of FD Park till Poura Bhavan,” said a traffic policeman.
Supratik Chatterjee, a resident of Teghoria, had to wait for more than 30 minutes to get a glimpse of the pandal at 1.40am on Ashtami.

 

“We had saved this pandal for the last hoping that the crowd would thin out, but to our surprise we had to park our car near the Bidhannagar Municipal School and had to walk the rest of the distance. Once near the pandal we had to wait for 20 minutes before we could get in. However the area had a carnival feel to it and in the end none of my family members complained,” Chatterjee said.

Avronil Das had come over for a second visit, this time as a guide to his relatives. “In the age of digital cameras and camera phones, when people stop to click photographs in front of the pandal and the idol impeding the flow, credit goes to the organisers for keeping the queue moving,” said the student of English literature. 

 

“The presence of two points of entries and exits slightly made it easier to manage the crowd. We stay till dawn to ensure that everything goes smoothly,” said Tirthankar Basak, a member of the puja committee. 
However, Somnath Biswas, who was selling devil horns and blow horns outside, felt that the crowd was more in 2014. “The crowd here decreases only around 7am and that is when I manage to take a nap.”

Visitors continued to troop in till October 25. Organisers are thinking of keeping the pandal intact for Kali puja.

Pictures by Prithwish Karforma, Shubham Paul and Sudeshna Banerjee

 

 

 BJ Block

The pandal that recreated Rani Ki Bhav, a queen’s stepwell that is a World Heritage Site in Patan, Gujarat. The huge intricately constructed step-well proved to be a big crowd-puller since October 17 when governor Keshari Nath Tripathi inaugurated it. 

“We kept the car back home and hired an autorickshaw to take us around Salt Lake. This is why we could get off close to the pandal but we had to wait for more than 20 minutes to get in,” said Debabrata Mukherjee, a resident of CD Block on Ashtami night.

The pandal drew a sizeable crowd on all days. “Although we did not get a huge footfall on Chaturthi, Panchami and Sashthi, from Saptami the crowd started pouring in. On Ashtami, the queue had extended till near Tank 8 Island. Everyday we had queues from 7pm till past midnight,” said Sudip Dey, the vice-president of the BJ Block Sarodotsav committee.

 

On Saptami evening, people who had come to see the pandal had to wait in queues as visitors were let into the pandal in batches. But Ashtami saw a change in crowd control plans. Entry into the pandal was kept continuous but people were not allowed to stand near the idols for too long. “By keeping the queue moving, one might not be able to do the darshan for a long time but at least one is spared the 10 to 15 minute wait outside,” said Sekhar Roy, inspector-in-charge of Bidhannagar East police station. 

The team of 30 volunteers and 11 security guards was kept on its toes by people who wanted to touch the structure. “The pandal was damaged in several places because visitors, despite being asked not to touch the structure, did so,” Dey added.

 

 

 

 AK Block

This pandal earned itself a moniker since Sashthi. Autorickshaw drivers started calling it the sari-r pandal and this caught on with the pandal-hoppers as well who had started pouring in from Chaturthi.
The entire pandal was decorated with hand-spun cotton and even had artisans giving live demonstrations of operating spinning wheels. The idol too was decked up in a tanter sari.

“We reached the pandal at 1am on Ashtami and still had to wait for more than 15 minutes in the queue. I never imagined that there would be such rush in Salt Lake at that hour,” said Trijit Bose, a resident of Bangur Avenue.
There were six CCTV cameras inside the pandal and 24 security guards were deployed round the clock for crowd management.

 

The queue snaked from AK Park to Tank 8. Two separate queues were formed — one for general visitors and the other for VIPs, senior citizens and people carrying small children. This reduced the load from the main queue. 
Visitors were happy with the way the crowd was managed. Bappa Ghosh from Bangur Avenue, who visited the pandal, did not have to wait for more than 15 minutes in the queue. 
The high footfall spelt good news for Ankan Das, who was selling soft drinks outside the park. “My sales go on till 3am,” he beamed.

“Everyday we had crowds from 6pm to 11pm. On Saptami, Ashtami and Navami, we had the maximum footfall,” said Aritra Sen, the secretary of the AK Block puja committee.

 

 

AJ Block

This pandal was a stopover for many a pandal-hopper who were on their way to the BJ and AK Block pujas. This year a 10-ft face of Buddha was placed near the entrance of the pandal of which the walls were adorned with colourful applique work and Buddhist preachings. 

The flow of visitors came to a stop on spotting the face of Buddha which got people clicking. “Crowd management is good as the queue is moving but people are stepping out of line to click selfies with the face of Buddha in the background,” said Rahul Chanda, a Picnic Garden resident who had come over with colleagues after work from their Karunamoyee office.

To contain the rush for selfies inside the pandal, the organisers created a designated spot where people could stand and take photographs. “We created a separate area for selfie enthusiasts to help them get the perfect shot with the idol in the background,” said Monojit Guha, the president of the AJ Block puja committee.
The queue was stopped outside when the number of people inside was exceeding the capacity of the pandal. “Right from 5pm, there is a steady stream of visitors. We have to halt entry to the pandal every 15 to 20 minutes as it gets very congested inside,” said Dilip Haldar, a security guard.

A traffic policeman posted near this pandal said that it had benefited the most due to its proximity to BJ Block and AK Block.

“People are making a beeline for AK and BJ Block pujas. On the way back, they are dropping by here. This is the reason why there were crowds here till 1am,” said the policeman. 
Another reason was its proximity to the footbridge connecting Kestopur. People crossing over aimed for a darshan of the three pujas. “The crowd is so huge that sales are robust till 3am,” said Viru Shaw, who was selling bhelpuri.  

 

 

Labony Estate

Rahul Gupta from Liluah had come to FD Block and heard of Labony Estate puja in the vicinity. There were obviously many pandal-hoppers like him. Such was the crowd that popcorn seller Md. Ashiq could keep his stall open till 2.30am. “Though sales peak at around 11pm, pandal-hoppers want popcorn even at 2am,” he smiled.

On Saptami night, Gate 1 of the housing estate got congested as newcomers entering through the gate tried to make their way back to it after darshan, taking it to be the only point of entry and exit. This made police officials advise the organisers to ensure that people used it only for entry. “We have been able to manage the crowd because of the eight gates in our housing estate. That allowed us to dissipate the gathering,” said Gautam Chatterjee, secretary of the puja committee. 

 

But this year, the pandal at Labony disappointed many. Although rows of cars could be seen parked on both flanks of the road outside the housing complex, many came out complaining.
“This year, the pandal has been a big let-down. I come here every year as the organisers come up with innovative themes but this time it was very mundane. Even their famous dhaki dance was missing,” said Ria Sen Chaudhuri, a resident of BJ Block. But the negative word of mouth did not reach outsiders coming to Salt Lake and so the footfall was not significantly affected.

 

AE Block (Part I)

Although this puja did not find a place in the list put forth by the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, the pandal in AE Block (Part I) was always crowded whenever The Telegraph Salt Lake visited it. This year the pandal showcased water conservation and depicted an underwater world using models of fishes, turtles and mermaids. The pandal’s illumination created a world in blue.

Kamalesh Thakur, a resident of Dum Dum Park, had to wait for more than 15 minutes before he could step inside at midnight on Saptami. “I have clicked many photographs and really liked their concept,” Thakur said.

 

Another visitor on Ashtami night, Anamika Dey of New Town, felt that this was one of the best in Salt Lake.
“I really liked their lighting and the crowd management was good too owing to the wide road leading to the pandal. Parking our car on the other hand proved to be an issue and we had to leave it at quite a distance and walk,” Dey said.

According to policemen posted at the pandal, this puja attracted a lot of visitors throughout the Pujas.
“Since this pandal is not visible from the main road many would ask us for directions. We had to stop traffic near the main road to let pedestrians pass several times during the night,” said a traffic constable.

 

 

Inputs from Aniket Sil  and Snehal Sengupta
Based on Bidhhanagar Police Commissionerate reports

 

 

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Send us the shots you clicked capturing the festive mood of Durga puja in Salt Lake or New Town and email to us at saltlakett@gmail.com.

Feel free to send not just pandals and idols but magic moments. The last date for submission is November 2. 
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