Bengal Club: Idols at Shivaji Park, stalls at Krida Bhavan

Workers give finishing touches to a Durga Puja pandal in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

OWING TO the Bombay High Court’s ban on commercial activities at Shivaji Park in Dadar, the Bengal Club, which has been conducting one of Mumbai’s oldest Durga Pujas, will set up stalls at the Krida Bhavan ground nearby. The idols of the deities, however, will be set up in Shivaji Park near the Kalibari. The High Court imposed the ban last year after which the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation refused to give approvals to set up commercial stalls at Shivaji Park as had been the practice for more than 80 years. The Bengal Club members were then compelled to set up a small tent behind the Kali temple, which accommodated just the idols.

This year’s Durga Puja celebrations began Monday, even as the idols will be opened to the public Tuesday. “In the past years, we have had an integrated pandal. This year, we have set up the stalls on the ground right opposite the Kalibari. We will have 40 commercial stalls which will showcase the best of Bengali food, textile, handicraft among others,” said Mitali Choudhury, spokesperson for the Bengal Club.

For their 82nd Durga Puja, members of the club had approached the G North ward office for permission to set up the stalls at the Krida Bhavan. “They had initially asked for permission to set up the stalls within Shivaji Park, which we rejected since the High Court has banned commercial activities. They then applied for permission to rent out the Krida Bhavan ground located opposite Shivaji Park and we have granted them permissions to set up their stalls there for five days,” said Ramakant Biradar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, G North ward.

Other members of the club said the plan for commercial activities in the subsequent years would continue to be Krida Bhavan.