Kolkata Residents Demand Removal of Lingering Durga Puja Structures

As of October 13th, 2025, Kolkata is still dealing with the lingering effects of the recent Durga Puja festival. Despite the official immersion of Durga idols over a week ago, pandals and decorative gates remain stubbornly in place across the city, causing significant disruptions.

The prolonged occupation of public spaces has worsened traffic congestion, endangered pedestrians, and denied residents access to open grounds like parks and playgrounds. In several neighborhoods, the dismantling process has either not begun or is progressing at a painfully slow pace. Even where structures have been taken down, heaps of debris, including bamboo, planks, and other materials, are being dumped on carriageways and footpaths, creating fresh hazards.

Residents and morning walkers in areas like Park Circus Maidan are staging protests against the carnival that has occupied more than half the ground, depriving people of their only recreational space. Organizers cite manpower shortages, overlapping commitments with other festivals, and financial pressures as reasons for the delay, but their actions have severely compromised the daily mobility, recreation, and safety of local residents long after the festivities ended.