Calcutta: Pandals have become shorter and the idols smaller. Soirees known for celebrity dazzle are missing the stars they can longer afford.

The elephant god has arrived, but not the prosperity he is known to bring. Across Ganesh Chaturthi pandals in Calcutta, the buzz is " bajaar (business) down" and the downbeat mood is reflected in budget cuts.

" Bajaar down, dada, and we have been living with that every day for over a year. If business decreases, we have to make adjustments everywhere," said a real estate developer in Salt Lake who is associated with a puja in the township.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday visited the Maharashtra Mandal, an organisation of Maharashtrians in Bengal that celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi over 10 days.

At most community celebrations, the largest share of the budget is raised through donations from "business patrons".

According to organisers and patrons, GST, demonetisation, rise in fuel prices and syndicate extortion have all contributed to a business slump and, consequently, shrinking of puja budgets.

The number of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Calcutta had been increasing each year till the source of funding started drying up. This year, there has been no addition to this list.

"Ganesh Chaturthi is very close to the hearts of the business community. Donations have gone down because profits have dried up," said a businessman associated with a puja committee.

The Yubak Sangha pandal near PNB Island in Salt Lake has shrunk from three storeys high to a two-storey one. Last year, the puja was inaugurated by a TV star and the four-day cultural programme on a dais adjacent to the pandal had multiple celebrities performing. This time, there has been no formal inauguration and only residents will be performing on stage every evening. The organisers have cut their budget by 25 per cent.

At Kasba, the P. Majumdar Bridge Hindu Park Garden Committee's puja has had to make compromises. The immersion programme itself used to have a budget of Rs 1 lakh. "Our bhasan is usually a spectacle. We had 10 horses eight bands and 15 dhakis last year. This year, there will be no horses and only four bands and five dhakis," said Shankar Das, a member of the committee.