Kolkata Municipal Corporation to inspect Md Ali Park Durga Puja site

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) water supply department on Monday held a meeting with the Md Ali Park Durga Puja committee to end the deadlock over the Puja site at the park.
After the organizers pleaded with the civic administration to allot a sizeable chunk of land at the park to shift the pandal from the ‘disputed site’, it was unanimously decided that the KMC water supply department senior officials will hold a joint inspection to determine the actual site where the Puja will be held this year.
Following partial collapse of an underground water reservoir at the park — that caters to drinking water to large parts of central and north Kolkata residents — the KMC made the park out of bounds for the Puja committee.
The organizers were compelled to shift out of the park for two consecutive years. However, they returned to use a small portion of the park last year. This year the KMC authorities had to issue a stop-work notice when organisers started the pandal structure on the top of the water reservoir.
According to Ashok Ojha, the joint secretary of Md Ali Park Youth Association, “We will definitely shift our pandal from the site as we don’t want any accidents during the festive days. At the same time, we have planned our Puja on a bigger scale this year and thus need a space at the park where we can celebrate without hassles,” said Ojha. A KMC official made it clear that the decision to grant space would be taken after the scheduled joint inspection.