West Bengal’s BJP government has unveiled a fresh set of rules governing the upcoming Durga Puja festivities, covering everything from liquor sales and loudspeaker use to traffic movement and idol immersion timelines.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the directives on Monday, September 7, during a coordination meeting with Durga Puja committees held at Milan Mela Prangan in Kolkata, and administration officials said the government’s intent is to keep the state’s marquee festival both devotionally rooted and free of public disorder.
Among the most talked-about measures is a one-day suspension of liquor sales across West Bengal. Every wine shop and bar in the state will down its shutters on Maha Ashtami, the day devotees traditionally gather for anjali — the ritual offering of flowers and prayers to Goddess Durga. Adhikari was direct about the rationale, telling representatives of the puja committees that no liquor would be sold or served anywhere in the state that day so that the sanctity of the ritual is preserved.
This order is notable for people in West Bengal because it goes against the grain of the festive season there, when liquor outlets typically see a spike in business as crowds throng pandal-hopping routes late into the night.
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The administration has also moved to ban DJ music outright, both during the days of celebration and at the immersion processions that mark the close of the festival — moments that have historically drawn massive sound systems and blaring speaker trucks through the city’s streets. Officials indicated the step is meant to cut down on noise-related disturbances and crowd-control headaches during what are already some of the most congested nights of the Kolkata calendar.
Alongside the sound curbs, the Chief Minister urged organisers to exercise caution with their creative choices. Puja committees have been told that idols, pandal designs and overarching themes must not run contrary to religious sentiment or depart from Sanatan traditions. Importantly, theme-based Pujas — a hallmark of Kolkata’s contemporary festival scene — have not been banned; committees can still pursue conceptual or artistic pandals, but they have been asked to weigh their choices more carefully before finalising a concept.
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Traffic and public-space management featured heavily in the announcements. National highways cannot be commandeered for pandal construction or festival activity under the new rules, and within Kolkata itself, 13 major thoroughfares — including Red Road and Cathedral Road — have been designated off-limits for Puja-related use.
The government has also tightened the calendar around when festivities can formally begin. Puja inaugurations will not be permitted before the start of Devi Paksha, the bright lunar fortnight in the Hindu month of Ashwin devoted to invoking and worshipping the Goddess. The rule appears to be a pointed response to past controversies: the previous Trinamool Congress administration under Mamata Banerjee had repeatedly come under fire over allegations that some Puja inaugurations were being held prematurely, ahead of Devi Paksha.
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On the immersion side, Adhikari said committees must complete their idol immersions within a fixed window ending before Lakshmi Puja. He was careful to add a reassurance alongside the deadline, stating that no organiser would be pressured or threatened into shifting their immersion date to comply.
Beyond the restrictions, the state has planned a cultural push of its own: organised programmes will run across six major cities over two days, complemented by special arrangements at six designated immersion ghats. The government also flagged accessibility as a priority, promising dedicated support to help persons with disabilities, elderly residents of old-age homes, and those living in ashrams visit Puja venues with ease.
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On the awards front, the administration announced it would constitute an independent jury for the Sharad Samman honours, which recognise Puja organisers for creative and artistic excellence. Adhikari said jury members would be selected specifically for their grounding in the traditional, ritual and cultural dimensions of Durga Puja, rather than purely aesthetic or commercial considerations.
Taken together, the measures mark one of the more detailed regulatory frameworks issued ahead of a Durga Puja season in recent years, touching on public order, road access, religious sentiment and cultural recognition all at once — with the state administration framing the push as an effort to keep West Bengal’s biggest festival both grand and orderly.
