Durga Puja 2026 Kolkata Permission: SAHAJ Portal, Kolkata Police Rules and KMC Hoarding NOC

Quick answer: Durga Puja 2026 in Kolkata begins with Bodhon on Friday 16 October and ends with Bijoya Dashami on Wednesday 21 October. Permissions are handled through the SAHAJ single-window portal, but the portal now says new signups and new puja requests are closed for this year. Committees with pending files can still complete them and answer objections. KMC hoardings need a separate NOC, may be up to 22 ft tall and can stay up from 3 to 28 October.

Last updated: 9 October 2026. Kolkata Police, KMC and the state government can issue fresh orders at any time. Check the portal, your local police station and the latest circulars before you build or advertise.

Kolkata's pujas are among the largest public festivals in the world, and this year's rules change some familiar habits: no inaugurations before Mahalaya, no DJs, a dry Maha Ashtami and no Red Road carnival. This guide is for committees inside Kolkata Police and KMC limits. For district towns and rural pujas, read our companion West Bengal statewide SAHAJ permission guide. For the festival itself, see our Durga Puja 2026 Kolkata dates guide and the latest Kolkata pandal themes.

Durga Puja 2026 dates for Kolkata

Saptami tithi spans 17 and 18 October this year, so some Bengali panjikas, and the calendar on the SAHAJ portal, list Shashthi on 17 October and Saptami on 18 October. Exact puja timings in the Bengali panjika (Bisuddha Siddhanta or Gupta Press) can differ slightly from Drik Panchang. Follow your purohit for muhurtas.

SAHAJ: how Kolkata pujas get permission

SAHAJ is the West Bengal government's online single-window system for Durga, Kali and Jagaddhatri Puja permissions. One application is shared with the departments that must clear a pandal. In Kolkata these are mainly:

• Kolkata Police (local police station and traffic)
• West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services
• the power utility, which is CESC across most of the city
• the West Bengal Pollution Control Board
• Kolkata Municipal Corporation for civic matters

Status on 9 October 2026: the portal's notice says online signup, change requests and new puja requests are closed for this year. Applicants can still complete incomplete applications for final submission and respond to objections. The portal lists a helpline, 080-4936-8378.

Steps for committees with a pending application

1. Log in to SAHAJ with your committee account.
2. Check every department tab for objections and reply with the document or correction asked for.
3. Complete any unfinished sections: pandal location, organisers, expected footfall, structure, theme, and entry and exit plan.
4. Make the final submission and note the reference number.
5. Be at the site for police and fire inspections. Final clearance follows the inspections.
6. Print the permission and display it at the pandal.

If you missed the window entirely, speak to the officer-in-charge of your local police station at once. Do not put up a public pandal without permission.

Documents Kolkata committees are usually asked for

• Committee registration details, or last year's permission if you are a returning puja
• Site plan of the pandal showing entry, exit and fire points
• NOC from the landowner. For a puja in an apartment complex, written consent from the flat owners' association
• Fire safety plan and list of fire equipment
• Electrical details for the temporary CESC connection, with a licensed electrician
• Theme and idol description
• List of volunteers and security arrangements with phone numbers

The apartment rule matters this year. On 30 September 2026 the Calcutta High Court directed the police not to permit a club's Durga Puja in the common area of a residential building without the flat owners' consent. Collect signed consent before you apply.

Kolkata Police rules for pandals

At a coordination meeting on 25 September, the Kolkata Police asked organisers to follow safety norms strictly, according to a PTI report carried by ThePrint. The key points:

• Separate entry and exit routes at every pandal.
• Contingency plans for rain, and coordination with civic bodies on road repairs and drainage near the pandal.
• No coercion or harassment while collecting subscriptions (chanda).
• Use the SAHAJ portal for permissions and clearances.
• CCTV and volunteers at crowd-puller pandals, with the police reviewing security at high-footfall venues.

Police officials said about 10,000 personnel, along with nearly 21,000 home guards and NCC cadets, would be deployed across the city during the puja. Kolkata Police routinely permits around 3,000 pujas in the city. Other practical expectations usually written into permissions:

• Do not occupy the full width of a road; leave space for traffic, ambulances and fire engines.
• Keep the area in front of exits free of parked vehicles.
• In residential lanes, leave a clear pedestrian path beside the pandal.
• Themes, idols and decorations should not hurt religious sentiments.

State rules that apply in Kolkata in 2026

The West Bengal government announced the 2026 rules on 7 September, as reported by The New Indian Express and India Today. For a Kolkata committee they mean:

• No pandal inauguration before Mahalaya (10 October).
• No DJ music at pandals or in immersion processions.
• Liquor shops and bars stay shut on Maha Ashtami, Monday 19 October.
• No national highway may be blocked, and pandals cannot shut 13 major Kolkata roads.
• No Red Road carnival this year.
• Free electricity for puja committees, arranged with CESC in Kolkata, and a waiver of fire-safety licence fees.
• Immersion to be completed by 24 October, the day before Kojagari Lakshmi Puja.

Statewide details, including the ₹1 lakh grant for small committees, are in our West Bengal guide.

The 13 roads that must stay open

The state has listed 13 major Kolkata thoroughfares where pandals will not be allowed to block traffic. Roads named in reports include:

• Red Road
• Cathedral Road
• Prince Anwar Shah Road
• DL Khan Road
• Hospital Road
• Strand Road
• Lenin Sarani
• Park Circus seven-point crossing

Kolkata Police issues the full list and traffic diversions; check the official traffic advisories before the festival.

KMC hoarding and banner NOC (new in 2026)

For the first time, Kolkata Municipal Corporation requires a no-objection certificate for temporary puja advertisements around pandals. According to Millennium Post's report on the KMC notice:

• Applications were accepted from 20 to 25 September at a special window at KMC headquarters.
• The form asks for applicant, ward and borough, advertising locations, average size and supporting structure.
• The permission is a one-time special permission for the puja only.
• Structures, including bamboo scaffolding, cannot exceed 22 feet.
• Display window: no earlier than 7 days before Mahalaya and removal within 7 days of Bijoya Dashami, which works out to 3 to 28 October 2026.
• No advertisements on road dividers or median verges, and none that block bus shelters or authorised hoardings.
• Committees remove the structures at their own cost and are responsible for any accident involving them.

Last year KMC teams removed around 300 hoardings left up after the deadline, so plan the take-down before the festival starts.

Idols, pandal structures and safety

• Pandals must be temporary structures built by an experienced decorator, with a declaration on structural safety.
• Keep fire extinguishers, sand buckets and water at the pandal, and train volunteers to use them. Expect more than one inspection.
• Use licensed wiring through an authorised temporary connection. Never hook into lines.
• Plan the idol's height and transport route around overhead wires. Kumartuli artisans and the police can advise on safe heights for your route.

Pandal-hopping: crowd and traffic tips

• The biggest crowds come from Saptami to Navami night, 17 to 20 October. Weekday afternoons are calmer.
• Use the Metro where you can; roads around north and south Kolkata hubs see diversions.
• Keep children close and agree on a meeting point at each pandal.
• Committees should keep a wheelchair-friendly lane where possible. The state has said it will help elderly people, old-age home residents and persons with disabilities visit pandals.
• Dial 112 in an emergency and note the nearest police assistance booth.

Immersion (bisarjan) in Kolkata

• Bijoya Dashami is Wednesday 21 October; all immersions must be finished by Saturday 24 October.
• Kolkata Police and traffic police fix ghat slots, routes and timings. Follow the slot on your permission.
• No DJs in immersion processions.
• Reports differ on whether cranes will be allowed at ghats this year, so confirm the arrangement for your ghat with the police.

Checklist for Kolkata organisers

• Finish any pending SAHAJ application and clear objections now.
• Keep the permission, police and fire contacts and CESC emergency numbers displayed at the pandal.
• Get written consent from flat owners for apartment pujas.
• Take down hoardings by 28 October.
• Brief volunteers on entry and exit, crowd flow and lost-child procedure.

Celebrating outside Bengal too? See how other cities run their festivals: the Navaratri 2026 dates and nine Devi forms, Cuttack's silver Durga Puja and the Mysore Dasara 2026 guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still apply on SAHAJ for a new Durga Puja in Kolkata in 2026?

As of 9 October 2026 the SAHAJ portal says online signup, change requests and new puja requests are closed for this year. Committees that already started can still complete pending applications and reply to objections raised by departments. Contact the SAHAJ helpline or your local police station for anything else.

Who grants Durga Puja permission in Kolkata?

Applications go through SAHAJ, the West Bengal single-window portal. Within Kolkata Police limits, the police, the fire services, the power utility (CESC in most of the city) and civic bodies review the same application. Kolkata Police routinely permits around 3,000 pujas a year, according to a PTI report.

How tall can puja hoardings be in Kolkata in 2026?

Under the KMC notice reported by Millennium Post, temporary puja advertisement structures, including bamboo scaffolding, cannot exceed 22 feet. They may stay up from 3 October to 28 October 2026 and cannot be placed on road dividers or block bus shelters.

Which Kolkata roads must stay free of pandals?

The state government has listed 13 major Kolkata roads where pandals and puja activities will not be allowed, including Red Road, Cathedral Road, Prince Anwar Shah Road, DL Khan Road, Hospital Road, Strand Road, Lenin Sarani and the Park Circus seven-point crossing, as reported by The New Indian Express and India Today.

Is a puja allowed in an apartment complex without residents' consent?

No. On 30 September 2026 the Calcutta High Court directed police not to permit a club's Durga Puja in a residential building's common area without the consent of the flat owners. Get written consent from the flat owners' association before you apply.

What are the Durga Puja 2026 dates in Kolkata?

By Drik Panchang: Mahalaya Saturday 10 October, Bodhon and Shashthi Friday 16 October, Saptami Saturday 17 October, Maha Ashtami and Sandhi Puja Monday 19 October, Maha Navami Tuesday 20 October and Bijoya Dashami Wednesday 21 October. Some Bengali panjikas place Shashthi and Saptami a day later, so follow your purohit.

Editor's note (9 October 2026)

This guide uses the SAHAJ portal notice as seen on 9 October 2026, the KMC hoarding notice as reported by Millennium Post, Kolkata Police statements reported by PTI, the Calcutta High Court order reported by LiveLaw, and the state rules reported by The New Indian Express and India Today. Dates follow Drik Panchang. Authorities may update rules at any time; always confirm with the portal, KMC and your local police station.