The preparatory meeting for the traditional Kharchi Puja in West Tripura was held in the conference hall of the District Magistrate office. MLA Ratan Chakraborty presided over the meeting, emphasizing the significance of Kharchi Puja and Mela as a festival celebrated in the country. He mentioned that the fair attracts numerous tourists and saints from different places each year.
Although Kharchi Puja originated as a festival of the tribal community in the state, it has now become inclusive, with people from all religions participating equally. The Department of Information and Cultural Affairs organizes cultural programs during the fair, involving artists from both within and outside the state. MLA Chakraborty urged officials from all departments to contribute to the fair’s success.
District Magistrate Debapriya Bardhan provided detailed instructions during the meeting regarding the tasks to be carried out by various departments for the fair. These tasks included renovating the access roads to the 14 Devatabari Temple connected with the fair, ensuring the electricity system is operational and repaired, providing sufficient lighting in the temple and fair premises, cleaning the fairgrounds, supplying drinking water, and ensuring convenience for the pilgrims.
Other important aspects discussed in the meeting included maintaining law and order, organizing car parking facilities, installing CCTV cameras, distributing fair stalls, arranging health services during the fair, and managing traffic control. It was also decided that exhibition booths would be set up by various government departments, as done in previous years. To ensure the fair runs smoothly, an executive committee and various sub-committees were formed.
The meeting was attended by notable individuals such as Mayor of Agartala Municipal Corporation Dipak Majumdar, In-charge Sabhadhipati of West Tripura Zilla Parishad Haridulal Acharya, Chairman of Old Agartala Panchayat Samiti Biswajit Shil, Director of Elementary Education Department Subhasis Bandopadhyay, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Jirania Sub-Division Shanti Ranjan Chakma, BDO of Old Agartala Block Shayari Banik, Social Worker Amit Kumar Nanda, and officials from various departments.
