West Bengal government announced that liquor will be banned on Maha Ashtami but DJs will be banned. The moves are part of a wider effort to make sure that the state’s largest festival is celebrated with a degree of peace and the state’s cultural heritage is protected and public order is maintained.
As the announcement is made by Durga Puja committees at Milan Mela in Kolkata, all liquor shops and bars in West Bengal will remain closed on Maha Ashtami. The decision will affect liquor sales during the day of Durga Puja festival which is one of the major occasions in the state.
The government has also announced a complete ban on DJs in Durga Puja celebrations. To protect the sound quality and to ensure that local culture and religion are incorporated in the festival. A lot of planning for the Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal will be done by event coordinators and puja committees.
A further important decision is to schedule Durga Puja inaugurations. This year, no Durga Puja pandal will be launched before Mahalaya (beginning of Devi Paksha), which is considered the starting of Devi Paksha festival. The decision signals a return to the traditional festival calendar after several years in which major puja festivals and inaugurations often started before Mahalaya.
VIDEO | Kolkata: "West Bengal to ban liquor sales at shops, bars on Ashtami during Durga puja", says Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari. pic.twitter.com/F6NR3mLSql
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 7, 2026
The state government has also decided it will not organise a Durga Puja carnival this year. But the popular 'Sharad Samman' awards will continue. Puja committees will be recognised in various categories like best idol, best pandal, eco-friendly puja, crowd management and craftsmanship. A panel of judges will reportedly select the winners.
Financial assistance has also been announced for eligible Durga Puja committees. The government will provide a grant of Rs 1 lakh to committees that need financial assistance for organizing their celebrations. Committees who can organise the festival without government help are advised not to apply for the grant.
In a major relief move, puja committees in West Bengal will be able to receive 100 per cent waiver of electricity charges in the festival. The government has also been talking to electricity authorities and CESC to make sure that committees, such as those in Kolkata, get electricity free of charge.
The government also scheduled 24 October as the deadline for the immersion of Durga idols because Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is on 25 October. Puja committees will be required to follow the immersion schedule according to the traditional calendar and delays beyond the specified cut-off date will not be allowed.
Some restrictions have also been made with immersion and processions. Cranes will not be allowed at immersion ghats and Durga Puja processions are not allowed to block national highways. Pandals and idols must respect the cultural and religious traditions of the state.
Special arrangements will be made for elderly people, residents of old-age homes and people with disabilities to visit Durga Puja pandals. Traffic and public movement should not get affected during the celebrations, authorities have said.
The government is also planning programmes in Digha and six other cities after Mahalaya. Another government-run Durga Puja programme will be held at Eden Gardens, with reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could attend. There will be drone and fireworks displays.
With the Maha Ashtami liquor ban, DJ restrictions, rules on inaugurations and immersion schedules the West Bengal government has given a detailed framework for Durga Puja celebrations. The measures are meant to blend traditional observance with crowd management, public convenience and smooth conduct of one of the state’s most important annual festivals.
The announcement comes at a time of high expectations for the Durga Puja grant to come to a close with the change of government in West Bengal. The new BJP administration had earlier said that large-budget pujas, which are financially well-placed to organise celebrations independent of the state, would not need financial support from the state. Now the government has stated that the Rs 1 lakh grant will be made available to committees that really do need it and that financially strong organisers can opt out of the scheme.
