Calcutta High Court bans visitors to Puja pandals
Only organisers will be allowed inside the pandals, the court said, limiting the number to 25 for big pandals and 15 for the smaller ones in view of the coronavirus outbreak
Durga Puja pandals in West Bengal will be no-entry zones for visitors. Photo: Collected
Durga puja pandals in India's West Bengal will be no-entry zones for visitors, the Calcutta High Court said on Tuesday.
Only organisers will be allowed inside the pandals, the court said, limiting the number to 25 for big pandals and 15 for the smaller ones in view of the coronavirus outbreak, reports the NDTV.
The directives of the court came just three days ahead of Bengal's biggest festival.
The court said all pandals will have to erect barricades at their entrance - the distance is five meters for small pandals and double that for the big ones.
Underscoring the need for compliance in view of public health, the Calcutta High Court said there are not enough policemen in Kolkata to man crowds at the city's 3000-plus pandals.
