A clear sky and bright sunshine were just the cue Puja shoppers had been waiting for. The result: Calcutta’s shopping hubs were packed from morning till night on Saturday.

By 3pm, Gariahat resembled its usual pre-Puja self. Every time the boom gates lifted, scores of pedestrians spilt onto the road, clutching shopping bags.

“The weather finally worked in our favour today,” said Aritra Sikdar, 34, who came with his family from Garia. “The rain over the last couple of weeks kept us indoors, but today was perfect for shopping and enjoying with family.”

Navigating the pavements was a challenge because of the crowd. Bargaining bouts broke out at nearly every second shop. Fast food stalls did brisk business as shoppers took breaks for phuchka, rolls and noodles.

For many, the outing was as much about being together as it was about shopping. “I came with my friends — it’s a ritual,” said Arpita Ghosh, a master’s student in science, out with a group of six. “Every year, we shop together and have lunch,” she said.

Shopkeepers barely had time to talk. “Only three weeks are left before Puja. Clouds and rain hurt footfall last week, but now the rush seems to have picked up,” said Arindam Saha, owner of Benarasi Kunja, a 48-year-old sari store.

Roughly 2km away, South City Mall was buzzing. By 5pm, its parking lot, which accommodates around 1,300 cars, was full. By 6.30pm, cars were being parked on the rooftop and in the compound outside the atrium.

The food court was bustling with long queues at the counters. Selfies were being clicked between bites.

“We came today to avoid the heavier crowd expected in the coming days,” said Sourav Singha, 42, who runs an NGO and was at the mall with friends.

Ritika, 36, another shopper at South City Mall, carried three bulging bags. She had come with her husband and mother. The couple, based in Hyderabad, were visiting their family in Mukundapur. “Puja shopping is a must when we are in Calcutta. We can’t stay for Puja this time, but we’re making the most of it,” she said.

The traffic mirrored the rush. It took well over an hour to travel the 6km from South City to New Market on Saturday evening — a trip that usually takes around 45 minutes.

Police deployed extra forces in shopping hubs such as Gariahat, New Market, Lindsay Street, Camac Street, College Street, and Shyambazar to keep traffic moving. “The main focus was streamlining pedestrian crossovers during evening peak hours. At several locations, the police used ropes to control the flow of pedestrians before allowing them to cross,” said a senior officer at Lalbazar.

“Separate deployment rosters have been drawn up for these spots, which are expected to see heavy footfall in the coming weeks.”

Metro stations were also teeming. By 7pm, over 4.25 lakh passengers had travelled on the Blue Line (north-south corridor), while the Green Line (East-West Metro) ferried around 1.4 lakh. Esplanade, the junction of both lines, was the busiest.

Many of the Metro passengers were headed to New Market. Around 6pm, crowds surged in and out of Humayun Kabir Sarani and Lindsay Street. From a vantage point, New Market looked like a sea of black heads by 6.30pm.

Additional reporting by Samarpita Banerjee and Kinsuk Basu