A small fire broke out at Kolkata’s famous Chetla Agrani Durga Puja pandal on Thursday, forcing organizers to shut it down for the rest of the day. This popular spot draws huge crowds every year during the festival, and it’s run by West Bengal Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim.
Firefighters quickly responded with five engines and got the blaze under control. But no one knows yet what sparked the fire or how it started. Organizers haven’t said when the pandal will reopen to visitors, leaving many devotees disappointed.
In a post on social media, the Chetla Agrani Club shared: “Due to an unprecedented accident, our Chetla Agrani Club Pandal will be closed today. We will update shortly when it will be open for devotees and visitors. We regret the inconvenience caused.”
This year’s Durga Puja theme at the pandal, “In Search of Amritkumbh,” honors the 100th birth anniversary of beloved Bengali writer Samaresh Basu. They decorated the mandap with Rudraksha beads for a unique touch. Just the day before, on Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cut the ribbon to inaugurate it, and crowds started pouring in right away.
The fire put a damper on the excitement, especially after people had lined up to see the setup. It comes on top of the chaos from Tuesday’s extreme weather in Kolkata—five hours of rain dumped a month’s worth of water, plus a high tide in the Hooghly River. That led to severe waterlogging across the city, paralyzing traffic, disrupting train and metro services, and even damaging several Durga Puja mandaps.
Tragically, nearly 10 people died from electrocutions in West Bengal, with eight in Kolkata alone. It’s unclear if the heavy rain or standing water around the pandal from Wednesday contributed to Thursday’s incident, but it adds to the challenges this festival season.
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