Artists facing a tough time to meet puja deadlines

Agartala, Sep 3 (UNI) With only 15 days to go for the Biswakarmapuja and 27 days for the Durga Puja, artists are busy meeting the demands of various puja organisers.

Competition of bringing artists from outside the state is the recent trend among the organisers of the state.

All artists, both locals and outside, are busy giving final touches to the statues of Lord Biswakarma and Durga.

One of the big budget puja organisers here is decorating the pandal with diamonds. The pandal would be open for public from Mahalaya.

Many other big budget puja committees had started the preparations for the grand finale about two months ago.

The rates of various items required for pandal decorations like bamboo and wooden logs have risen sky-high.

''People are willing to shell out extra penny,'' said an enthusiastic puja organiser.

Most of the puja organisers fear that the weather may play spoil-sport during the festive period. ''The state has received late monsoon this time. We fear that rain may spoil the entire preparation,'' said another organiser.

In tribal dominated areas too, the preparation to celebrate the Durga puja has already started. There has been no reports of threats from any of the underground extremists groups which are very much active in the tribal dominated areas.

The Tripura police has issued some guidelines to the puja organisers to maintain peace before the festival.

The law enforcing authorities in their guidelines said at the time for collections of subscriptions, ''not more than two people can go to any house for collection. That too in the time fixed by us,'' said a police officer. He further added that if any person is found collecting subscription forcefully, he or she will be punished.

The security has been beefed up in the entire state. ''We do not want to take any chance during the festive periods,'' said a top official of the state police.

UNI PB-PD JYN PR KN1433