Kolkata/Behrampore: CM Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday cautioned against attempts to disrupt Durga Puja festivities, asking police, administration and puja committees to remain on high alert during the festive season.Speaking at the inauguration of Budhaspara Sarbojanin Durga Puja in Lalbagh, Murshidabad, Adhikari said: “Some people are deliberately trying to spoil the festive spirit. Recently, two puja pandals in the district witnessed accidents. Investigations are underway. Do not allow anyone to spoil the festive mood.”On CAA, Adhikari said the process of obtaining certificates had been simplified for refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan. District magistrates would now conduct hearings and issue CAA certificates directly, following Centre’s empowerment of the state.Highlighting Durga Puja’s growth, Adhikari said 13,000 new pujas had received permission since the change of govt, taking Bengal’s total from 45,000 last year to 58,000 this year. More than 800 new pujas have been approved in Murshidabad alone. Each committee receives a Rs 1 lakh grant, electricity charges have been waived and fire licences provided free.On Murshidabad’s development, Adhikari said the govt planned to beautify a large lake he spotted while travelling by helicopter to promote tourism. He referred to a river erosion meeting in Delhi on Oct 27, instructed the district magistrate to arrange land for an ITI in Lalbagh and a girls’ college at Lalbagh Subhas Chandra Bose Centenary College, and promised to convert Shaktipur hospital into a 200-bed facility. He also announced that the Centre had handed over enemy property to the state.Adhikari identified three social reform priorities: drug trafficking, child marriage and teenage pregnancy. He cited a BSF-police joint operation in Jalangi that seized 5,000 bottles of prohibited cough syrup and said cross-border crimes — illegal infiltration, cattle smuggling, and narcotics — had been “brought under control to a great extent” through BSF-police coordination, with border fencing progressing.On child marriage, Adhikari cited figures showing 60,000 institutional deliveries involving mothers under 18 between January and June this year, of which 9,700 were in Murshidabad. “Early marriage and pregnancy are offences under the law and pose serious risks to public health,” he said.“Govt is not just about building roads, schools and colleges or providing allowances. Its fundamental responsibility is to bring genuine social reform,” Adhikari said. He later inaugurated two more Durgotsavs in Behrampore.
