KOLKATA: A second tragedy on Saptami evening was narrowly averted at south Kolkata’s Chetla Agrani when the organisers, sensing a crowd surge, acted in time to stop entry to the pandal and evacuate those inside.
The incident at Chetla Agrani happened shortly after the Chorbagan disaster in north Kolkata. Several other crowd-puller Durga Pujas, including Tala Prattoy, College Square and Md Ali Park, were shut down as a precautionary measure. Others, including Santosh Mitra Square and Allen Park, took steps to disperse the crowd.
Sabyasachi Chowdhury of Chetla Agrani said a short but sharp spell of rain on Saturday led to a huge crowd buildup inside the pandal. “The volunteers managing the crowd were concerned. The police assessed the situation and ordered an evacuation, and we complied immediately. We closed the entry gates, opened the exits and removed the barricades so that people could disperse quickly,” he said, adding that at no point did the situation threaten to turn into a stampede.
Chetla Agrani had to shut down the pandal last year as well after a spark caused by a short circuit was spotted.
It was doused immediately.
While Md Ali Park and College Square shut down their pujas in deference to the loss of lives at Chorbagan in the neighbourhood, Tala Prattoy, further north, also stopped entry to its pandal.
Ritesh Tiwari, primary organiser of Tala Prattoy, said: “As advised by the CM, we have shut down our pandal as it is a theme-based puja with dim lights. We will reassess our illumination and entry-exit points, and only after a detailed crowd-management assessment with police and other competent authorities will we reopen our pandal for revellers.”
At Allen Park, where
Durga Puja is being held for the first time, organisers stopped the laser show and music on the pandal premises.
Navin Mishra, general secretary of Allen Park Durga Puja, said: “The deaths at Chorbagan puja left us pained. Hence, we have decided to tone down the celebrations and have stopped the music and laser light show.”
Others, such as Santosh Mitra Square and Suruchi Sangha, which also draw huge crowds, are monitoring and assessing the situation. “We have widened our entry-exit points and are taking measures to allow fewer people inside. We are in talks with the govt. Whatever the govt directs, we will do. Nothing can be more valuable than human life. We will make no compromises there. Even if it means shutting down our pandal, we will close it down systematically,” said Sajal Ghosh of Santosh Mitra Square Puja.
Sourav Sikdar of Suruchi Sangha in Chetla said the number of volunteers had been increased and visitors were being asked to keep moving and not crowd the area in front of the idol. “We have a very open pandal and don’t need to shut down our puja,” he said.