Even as unrestricted extortion of money in the name of Puja Chanda (subscriptions) starting from Ganesh Puja to Kartika Purnima has hit commoners here, the police administration is behaving as a mute spectator on the plea that no complaint in this regard has been received from any person so far Earlier, the Puja Chanda was only collected for laxmi Puja and a lion’s share of the total expenses was borne by businessmen like labanya Sahu, Kunja Sahu, Ramjee, Mahadev Ram, B Samal, Natabar Devata, Pandey, Bhaniram and Bira Sahu.
Practically, businessmen have initiated the local annual laxmi Puja festivities for seven days after the year 1923 for propaganda and marketing of their products among outsiders. But at present, the numbe of Puja Mandaps have increased from only one or two to as many as 38. The self-constituted Puja Committees have started collecting Chanda from small traders, cabins owners and makeshift shops on footpaths and from all individuals irrespective of being rich and poor living in all lanes.
The unregistered Puja Committees, consisting of 30 to 40 member sit at a place, fix Chanda for residents in an arbitrary manner without consulting a donor and without considering his financial capacity. In an autocratic manner, the Puja Committee members force the poor makeshift shop owners to pay Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 in advance for occupying a few feet of footpath belonging to either the PWD or the municipality.
Very often, it was seen that makeshift shop, Dola and zoo owners had to return to their homes in empty hand as they could not make business due to incessant rains for four to five days. Even, they could not arrange money for their daily food during the bad weather.
Due to the callousness of the Government as well as the district administration, the collection of Puja Chanda has spread to the main market to lanes and also from town to villages for Ganesh Puja, Durga Puja, laxmi Puja, Kali Puja and Kartikeswar Puja. The unemployed youths have now started celebrating Rath Yatra even in city lanes and in villages.
An individual cannot dare to resist such illegal Chanda collections and lodge complaint with police as fifteen to twenty youths reach his door at a time and start humiliating him before family members and scold in filthy languages if the donor shows his incapability to pay the claimed amount.
To meet the unhealthy competitions among the Puja Mandaps, the expenses are mounting every year and simultaneously the financial burden is being imposed on commoners. A big portion of the Chanda is usually spent for obscene dances and to meet the consumption of liquor and chicken by anti-socials during the immersion festivals.
Though there is violation of administrative decision regarding timely immersion of Goddess laxmi idols occurs every year, the police do not dare to speak anything to any one at that time. What can a common man do about itIJ The intellectuals here have started saying that the celebrations of all kinds of Pujas have been converted to a fashion for youths rather than devotion.