A delegation of Ranchi District Durga Puja Committee (RDDPC) members met Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday and apprised him about the ongoing dispute between the district administration and the puja committee regarding the construction of a puja pandal at the Old Vidhan Sabha grounds in the State capital.
The members of RDDPC informed the CM that for the first time a grand puja pandal on the lines of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is being constructed at the old Assembly grounds and for which land has been allotted from HEC. But due to not taking permission from the district administration, the organising committee has been facing some problems. The representatives sought permission from the CM to organise Durga pauja at the said venue and also urged the State government and district administration to cooperate for the same.
It is worth noting that a replica of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is being constructed by Shri Ram Lalla Puja committee at a whooping cost of Rs 98 lakh here. The construction work for the pandal began on September 1 while the district administration had stopped the work 12 days later on Friday, September 13 when about 60 percent of it was complete.
The CM has assured that the puja organising committees will get full support from the State government as well as the district administration this year as well and also directed the administration to establish better coordination with the members of RDDPC and to solve the problem by considering all the points positively soon.
“Keeping in mind the various points of organising Durga Puja, the members of the district administration and Puja organising committee should hold a meeting for better coordination and synergy and ensure that the Puja is performed in a peaceful and harmonious environment,” said the CM.
During the meeting, the CM also stated that special emphasis needs to be given for environment protection. “In the coming times, we all should make such a system for idol immersion that along with the cleanliness of dams, ponds and rivers, the dignity of faith should also be preserved,” added the CM.
“Members of the umbrella body of Durga Puja pandals- Ranchi District Durga Puja Committee met the Chief Minister today and put forth the problem being faced. We have been assured of full cooperation of conducting Durga puja at the Old Assembly ground. The construction work for the puja pandal has resumed. The organising committee has also received a go- ahead from the district administration,” said RDDPC Convener, Ashok Purohit.
“The organising committee had started the construction of the pandal without taking due permission from the district administration because of which the work had been stopped. Now permission has been granted and they can continue with the celebrations just like any other pandal in the City,” stated a source from the district administration.
At this pandal, the idol of Goddess Durga will be about 32 feet wide and 19 feet high while that of Lord Shri Ram which will be made of silicon will be about 8 feet high. More than 200 artisans have been engaged in shaping the structure.
