Seven Kolkata Durga Puja committees opt out of Bengal's grant after CM's appeal

Seven prominent Kolkata puja committees have said they will not seek the aid, with one of them choosing instead to contribute the same amount to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.The committees announced on social media that they would not apply for the government grant. (Representative image)Seven major Durga Puja committees in Kolkata have decided not to apply for the Rs 1 lakh assistance announced by the West Bengal government for pujas. Their decision came after Suvendu Adhikari urged big-budget organisers, who can raise funds on their own, to forgo the grant.One of the seven committees, Rajdanga Naba Uday Sangha, has also decided to donate Rs 1 lakh to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, according to its chairperson and state BJP spokesperson Keya Ghosh. The other six committees are Santoshpur Lake Pally, Tala Pratyay, Chorbagan Sarbojanin, Naktala Udayan Sangha, Santosh Mitra Square and Phoolbagan Sarbojanin.The committees announced on social media that they would not apply for the government grant. During a meeting with Durga Puja organisers on Monday, Adhikari said smaller puja committees would get Rs 1 lakh each in government assistance after applying for it. He also appealed to larger pujas not to seek the grant, saying they have the capacity to raise funds independently.BJP MLA and puja organiser Sajal Ghosh said on social media that the Santosh Mitra Square puja committee, with which he is associated, had not accepted government assistance in the past and would continue with that position this year. In a social media post, Santoshpur Lake Pally said, "Many thanks to the Hon'ble CM for the announcement. We humbly state that we are not accepting the grant." Committees that want the assistance will have to apply through their respective police stations. The applications will then be scrutinised and forwarded through the police administration for processing under the prescribed government procedure. - EndsPublished On: Sep 8, 2026 17:47 IST