Salt Lake turns Puja hot spot

Innovative Concepts To Pull Crowd

Ajanta Chakraborty & Suman Chakraborti TNN

Kolkata: Priyanka Ghosh lives in Behala, which has its own share of high-profile pujas. But every Durga Puja, she reserves a whole day only to visit pandals at the other extreme of the city in Salt Lake.
    Her love affair with Salt Lake pujas began in 1998 when FD Block recreated Titanic. “Since then, booking an entire day for Salt Lake has become a ritual. We start after an early lunch and return late at night,” the 38-year-old homemaker quipped as she remarked: “I wonder if it will be Panchami or Shashti this time.”
    And, for FD block resident Simontini Das, it’s only Salt Lake during the Pujas. So, when was the last time she had gone pandal-hopping in other parts of the city? The 35-yearold shrugs, “Years ago. Before I was married and moved to Salt Lake. I have never felt the need to venture out of Salt Lake during Pujas.”
    Both Ghosh and Das — with their respective pandal-hopping preferences — are busy drawing up their must-see list of Salt Lake pandals. And the list doesn’t necessarily include F D Block. Pandals in the township have come a long way since the “Titanic era”. HB Block Residents’ Association secretary Abhijit Chandra vouches for that.
    “Initially, our pandal became a hit simply because we were just across FD. But now, our puja, all of 27 years, has an identity of its own,” he says.
    Little wonder then that planning starts months ahead. The TOI team found murals being conceived with care to depict Ram’s ‘Akal Bodhon’. “Ours will be an innovation based on tradition. It’s bound to be a major stop-over,” claimed Chandra. The concept has been meticulously worked out by Prabir Saha of the Government Art College and is being implemented at a cost of Rs 12 lakh.
    Concepts as opposed to themes seem to be the order of the day at Salt Lake pandals. The one coming up on the park at AE (part I) Block looks quaint with a 40-foot waterbody dug up. In the midst are scores of ladders in different hues. Secretary Supriyo Chakraborty explains: “Our slogan is Matir Tane Mati Mukhi.” The pandal depicts the ups and downs of humanity — the ladders symbolizing the struggle to stay afloat.
    “The best thing about Salt Lake puja pandals is high art within a mediocre budget,” explains Soumendra Banerjee, a resident of AE (part I) Block. “Among the 112 pujas (one in each ward), around 50 are exceptionally good. But the thrust is on character rather than cost. A lot of thought and professionalism goes into the making each pandal.” According to Banerjee, who once lived in Manicktala, “Most of pandals live up to the middle-class para culture which is woven into the ambience. No wonder, the average budget isn’t more than
Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh.”
    Painter Suvaprasanna, however, feels that Salt Lake has a “readymade ambience”, but it’s not quite middle-class. When I started living here, I thought this was a township for NRIs — far removed from the old world charm of north Kolkata. It’s tranquil against Kolkata’s vibrancy. More and more people are thronging these pandals for the sheer combine of comfort and aesthetics.”
    But then, it’s a competitive world. So what if it’s only restricted within the borders of the township. Every pandal is vying to give the other a run for footfall. The “concept” raked up by the organisers of BE East puja committee is “Shomoy Akhon” (time now). Into its 32nd year, the pandal will resemble a sundial showing the continuous passage of time. Budget? Not more than Rs 11.25 lakh.
    The “concept” for the Labony Estate Puja is innovative, yet topical. Although secretary Sumit Sarkar insists that it’s strictly apolitical, but Labony (in its 37th year) is recreating the four Vedas to trace ‘Woman Power’. Sarkar informs: “In the ancient era, women used to be emancipated and were reduced to slaves after the Manu-Samhita age. Our pandal will reflect the various stages of the society, culminating in the present when the woman gets back her freedom and rises to the decision-making level.” A recital by Ayaan Ali Khan will add zing to the Labony puja this year.
    CKCL Block — celebrating its silver jubilee — is erecting a pandal out of steel wires. Says secretary Dibyendu Banerjee: “The pandal is an abstract temple. The mandap has been christened ‘Pragati’ or progress. Steel represents development.” Another silver jubilee Puja, IB Block Welfare Association, plays around ethnicity, woven out of eco-friendly products like jute and bamboo. “Our pandal blends ritual, culture and tradition,” says secretary Partha Mitra.
    Finally, the fattest budget so far is attributed to FD Block Sarbojonin: Rs 20 lakh. The concept: Shaktipeeth. The idol: 14.3-m high. The pandal: a mountain with 12 Shiva Jyotirlingas placed on different spots. The showstopper: a Nataraj statue to the left .

(Clockwise from above) Decorations for the Labony Estate puja; the HB Block puja is depicting ‘Akal Bodhon’; the 14.3-m high FD Block pandal; the IB Block pandal decorations

Unused plots in Salt Lake draw govt attention

Suman Chakraborti TNN

Kolkata: Owners of idle plots in Salt Lake will soon be served notices, asking them to make use of the land, failing which they must hand over the land to the state. Idle plots in the township will be identified through a survey by the state urban development department. “Notices will be sent soon,” said department
secretary Debasis Sen.
    Those who can’t comply by starting construction will be asked to inform the authorities so that government
could delve into the reason/ reasons behind the delay.
    There are quite a few idle residential and commercial
plots, ranging from two to five cottahs, in Salt Lake. Many of these plots have become waste dumps over a period of time. Rules state that the urban development department can serve notices on plotholders who don’t start construction within three years of taking land on lease. If the notice isn’t replied to in six months, the plot can be taken back.
    The Bidhannagar Municipality had earlier tried to identify such plots but could not contact the owners. The Left Front government also formed a committee under then chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb to identify such plots so that they could be re-distributed. However, the move didn’t progress.
    Some senior Salt Lake residents recently submitted a memorandum to chief minister Mamata Banerjee asking her to look into illegal transfer and sale of plots in the township, a long-standing problem. “Plots in Salt Lake are all leased out. While plots are distributed for costs ranging between Rs 2,750 to Rs 5,000 per cottah, depending on location, a cottah of land is illegally getting sold from anything between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore,” said B N Chatterjee, secretary of Salt Lake Citizens’ Welfare Society.
    The state government
has leased out plots in Salt Lake since the 1970s to enable middle-class
people build houses in the township. Under the rules, all plots were handed over to leaseholders
for 999 years after which the plots would be taken back by the government. However, the government found over the years that many of the original leaseholders transferred
their plots. Most such transfers took place in the 90s. A number of plots and houses were illegally sold or rented out by leaseholders.
    There are about 12,000 plots in the township, out of which almost 35% have already been transferred or sold illegally. Besides, the government was losing lakhs from stamp duty and registration fee as these transactions gave the government and the local civic body a slip. The government authorities had earlier served notices on such individuals who had illegally transferred or sold plots. But many alleged offenders moved court.
LAND-ING IN TROUBLE
12,000^| Total number of plots 4500^| Number of plots illegally transferred or sold
    2,750 to 5,000 per cottah^| Original price of plots 50 lakh to 1 crore per | Price on which plots are illegally sold