20 'puja pandals' declared sensitive

Varanasi, Sep 12 (UNI) As many as 20 Durga Puja 'pandals' in this holy city often termed as 'Mini-Kolkata' have been declared 'sensitive' by the district administration.

Additional District Magistrate (City) Indra Vikram Singh here today said out of the total 234 puja pandals, 20 have been bracketed as sensitive.

Out of 174 pandals, 160 were located in the city, while 60 were situated in rural areas, Mr Singh added.

''With the terror threat looming large over the festival celebrations across the country, the district administration and the police are chalking a foolproof strategy to deal with any eventuality.'' he stated.

A sizeable Bengali population residing the riverine areas of the city along with large influx of devouts from Eastern part of the country during Durga Puja have given Varanasi the sobriquet 'Mini-Kolkata.' UNI ARS ATI YA DB2018