Kolkata: A surge of frantic last-minute shoppers alongside enthusiastic pandal-hoppers transformed the city’s key commercial hubs and streets into a bustling tapestry of pre-festive celebration on the final Sunday before Durga Puja.From the hawler markets of Gariahat and Hatibagan to the arcades of New Market and multi-storey AC malls, hundreds of revellers converged across Kolkata to complete their festival preparations and catch early glimpses of marquee community pujas.It was not just the shoppers — the city saw an early start to Durga Puja celebrations as pandal-hoppers began queuing up outside major pandals from Mahalaya evening, the numbers increasing on Sunday evening, even though many were not yet open to the public.Adani Group’s Durga Puja Preview, launched on Mahalaya, saw hundreds queing up with their QR code enabled passes with favourites like Alipore Sarbojonin and Rajdanga Naba Uday Sangha. Where the pandals are yet to open — Ekdalia Evergreen and Allen Park being examples — revellers, armed with their mobiles, were seen lining up at the entrances wishing to get a sneak-peek.The twin pressure left its mark on even the Sunday traffic, especially around the market areas like Gariahat and Hatibagan, where it became visibly slower. However, the traffic did not collapse, as cops hit the roads to ensure that no road came to a standstill.The jam-packed markets brought cheer to traders and vendors. Suman Saha, a trader at Gariahat, said, “Today being the last Sunday before puja, a huge crowd streamed into the market in the afternoon. We hope this trend will continue for the next few days, especially in the evenings before the festival.”Raju Dey, another trader at the market, said, “Imitation jewellery items are flying off shelves along with garments and apparels and other items. Compared to last Sunday, the puja market is better for us today.”Swetlena Ghosh, a resident of Ranikuthi, came shopping with three of her friends. “It is an annual trend we friends follow every year. The idea is to get the best deals from all markets. You feel the thrill of bargains on such days,” said Ghosh.New Market experienced a significant surge in footfall post 5 pm. Many shoppers like Baguiati’s Madhupriya Roy were elated to have managed some time off her busy schedule to purchase ornaments and accessories for jazzing up her puja outfits.Malls were also packed.“Last weekend before puja witnessed an impressive surge in footfall, with shoppers thronging Acropolis Mall in large numbers. The growing shopping momentum was reflected in a significant rise in category-wise sales compared to the corresponding period last year. We are expecting the footfall to rise to 20,000. The mall is decked with greeneries as it is celebrating a green puja this year,” said Subhadip Basu, corporate general manager (retail & hospitality), Merlin Group. South City also witnesses high footfall.Organisers at the Rajdanga Amra koayjan Kalyan Samiti, one of the eight pujas selected for the Durga Puja Preview said the early crowds caught them off guard, leading them to deploy extra guards at gates and regulate entry. At Santosh Mitra Square, inaugurated by CM Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday, queues began forming well before the 8 pm public opening.By 6 .30 pm, a commute to Gariahat from Deshapriya Park took around 20 minutes. Iit took more than double the time than a usual Sunday to cross Hatibagan. “Even if we are going into full deployment from Chaturthi, it does not mean we are not deploying traffic personnel on the roads. We acted according to needs,” said a DCP. “Pandal construction along with temporary pedestrian lanes is not only eating away the carriageway, it is also forcing people to move out of the footpath and use the already constricted road space, further slowing down traffic, particularly on SP Mukherjee Road, Hazra Road, Laudon Street, DH Road and Beliaghata Road,” said an ACP.(Inputs from Sarthak Ganguli)
