This Durga Puja a new 'Burj Khalifa' in the middle of Kolkata draws huge crowds

Come to Sreebhumi Sporting Club in Salt Lake City's Lake Town area and witness Kolkata's own Burj Khalifa which happens to also be the Marquee for Durga Puja celebrations there.

KolkataA slice of the desert Emirate of Dubai seems to have been imported into Kolkata, with a lit-up replica of Burj Khalifa having been created by artists and electrical whiz-kids in Salt Lake City's Lake town area, attracting tens of thousands of people and creating traffic jams throughout the day.

Come to Sreebhumi Sporting Club in Salt Lake City's Lake Town area and witness Kolkata's own Burj Khalifa which happens to also be the Marquee for Durga Puja celebrations there.

The 145-feet tall pandal, built using some 6,000-acrylic sheets has created a replica of the world's tallest building -Burj Khalifa. Expert lighting has enhanced the effect and it has become a show-stealer for all Pujas in the city.

The nearby roads saw massive traffic jams on Monday as cars full of gawkers streamed from all over the metropolis to look at the marquee st up for the Durga Puja.

Over 250 workers toiled for three-and-a-half months to erect the structure.

Like in previous years, the organisers have covered their Durga idol with 45 kilogrammes of gold, state fire minister Sujit Bose, who is also one of the officials of the Puja, told the media.

“Every year, we build one iconic structure as our `pandal' (marquee). Last year, we had built a replica of the Kedarnath Temple. This year our artist proposed Burj Khalifa …we sent him to Dubai to get every details of the structure so that a good job could be done,” he said, adding that the pandal has been built following all Covid19 parameters as set by the state government.

Declining to comment on the funds spent for the pandal, Bose claimed that the Puja is already a hit among enthusiasts and is giving other big Durga Pujas a run for their money.

PTI