Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) will organise Sharad Samman 2026 in November, recognising puja committees across five categories, while promoting cleanliness, civic discipline, social awareness and citizen-friendly Durga Puja celebrations across Agartala.
The Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) will organise the Sharad Samman 2026 award ceremony in the first week of November, with preparations for the annual Durga Puja celebrations and the judging process reviewed at a special meeting on Thursday.
The meeting was held at the AMC conference hall under the leadership of Mayor Dipak Majumder. Commissioner Saju Wahid, IAS, Deputy Mayor Monika Das Dutta, members of the Mayor-in-Council (MIC), zonal chairpersons, corporators and judges associated with the four zonal committees attended the meeting.
The discussions focused on making the upcoming Sharad Utsav more organised, attractive and citizen-friendly. Various aspects of the Sharad Samman judging process were reviewed, including arrangements for judges, assessment procedures and difficulties reportedly faced during last year’s evaluation.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, Mayor Dipak Majumder said that the Sharad Samman 2026 awards would be presented in five major categories. These include best puja mandap, best lighting, best idol, best theme and best women-run puja committee. The winner in each of these categories will receive a cash award of Rs 50,000.
In addition to the five main categories, the four zones under the Agartala Municipal Corporation will each select four puja committees for awards. Each of these zonal awards will carry a cash prize of Rs 25,000.
According to the AMC, judges will visit different Durga Puja venues during the celebrations and assess the puja arrangements based on the designated criteria. The judges will submit their selections after the conclusion of the Puja celebrations. The meeting also examined ways to improve the evaluation system and address issues that emerged during the previous year’s judging process.
Mayor Majumder said that the judges had expressed satisfaction with the facilities provided during the evaluation process as well as the arrangements made for the annual Sharad Samman felicitation programme. He also said that, as in previous years, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha is expected to attend the Sharad Samman award ceremony.
The Mukhyamantri Swachhata Award will also be presented during the same programme. Under this award, clubs under the AMC will receive cash prizes based on their performance in cleanliness-related activities. The first, second and third positions will receive Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh, respectively. In addition, 10 other clubs will receive Rs 50,000 each.
The civic body also stressed the importance of maintaining discipline and following municipal guidelines during the Durga Puja celebrations. Mayor Majumder appealed to all Durga Puja committees and clubs to ensure that festivities are conducted in an orderly manner while keeping public convenience and civic responsibilities in mind.
He further urged Puja committees and clubs to use the festival platform to spread awareness about important social issues, including drug abuse, AIDS, child marriage and excessive use of plastic.
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The AMC’s preparations come ahead of one of the biggest annual festivals in Agartala, with the civic body seeking greater coordination among Puja committees, judges and municipal authorities. The Sharad Samman awards are expected to recognise puja organisers for their efforts in decoration, lighting, idols, themes, women’s participation and overall presentation, while the cleanliness award will focus on civic responsibility during the festive period.
