Kali puja pandals in Kolkata encroach on to the roads leading to traffic snarls

Commuting in Kolkata means negotiating the traffic snarls that are now cropping up due to encroachment of Kali puja pandals on to the roads choking the traffic on thoroughfares, lanes and by-lanes. The just concluded Durga Puja has drained all the energy out of cops who remained on their toes for unending hours. Therefore, manning traffic and revelers of Kali Puja has become an even bigger headache for them - Kali puja pandals are mushrooming all over the city.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 28 October 2016.

It seems the organizers have started to occupy large portions of roads at least 15 days before the Puja leading to chaos on the roads because vehicles hardly have space to move, leading to massive traffic jams. Kali puja does not need too much funds and can be held with a moderate fund. Thereby, the number of pujas keeps increasing, and at an alarming rate.
Kali Puja pandals may not be big crowd-pullers compared to Durga puja pandals but their impact on roads is no less. On a rough estimate, the city hosts 10-15 times more Kali pandals than Durga pandals. Moreover, organizers of Kali Puja usually the young brigade who are aggressive and brash, with very little respect for rules. Hence, clashes are not uncommon.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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