SHILLONG — Durga Puja pandals occupying portions of PWD roads in Shillong have been given a reprieve this year, but the East Khasi Hills administration has made it clear that the same arrangements will not be allowed next year, as objections over traffic obstruction and public inconvenience continue.
Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal said on Wednesday that shifting existing pandals at this stage would create practical difficulties for organisers. The administration has therefore allowed them to remain for this year under the required PWD no-objection certificates, while warning committees against repeating the arrangements.
The dispute has drawn objections from pressure groups, including the Khasi Students’ Union, over the use of public roads for religious structures. RR Colony has emerged as a key point in the debate, with its pandal occupying part of a PWD road and requiring traffic diversions during major Puja days. Baranwal said the sector magistrate had held two to three rounds of discussions with the local dorbar over the RR Colony pandal. The committee has been warned that the present arrangement cannot continue next year. At the Laitumkhrah stretch, minor adjustments were made to keep the pandal beside the drain rather than extending it onto the main carriageway.
The administration has asked sector magistrates to coordinate with local dorbars, police and other stakeholders to reduce disruption while respecting religious rights. Police have also been instructed to deploy adequate personnel at congestion points and keep traffic diversions as short as possible. Baranwal clarified that undertakings sought from Puja organisers were part of standard administrative procedure and did not automatically make committees liable for incidents beyond their control. Responsibility, he said, would depend on the circumstances and investigation.
Traffic management will also extend to idol immersion. The Deputy Commissioner said riverfront development has reduced the immersion ghat’s capacity, which could previously accommodate five immersions simultaneously. The administration plans to allot staggered immersion timings sector-wise after mapping the travel time from each pandal to the site.
Meanwhile, the Meghalaya Linguistic Minority Development Forum (MLMDF) has urged the administration, NGOs and civil society organisations to settle the dispute through dialogue and fair enforcement of civic rules.In an open letter dated October 14, the forum acknowledged that traffic obstruction, public safety concerns and encroachment must be taken seriously. But it cautioned against abrupt removal of pandals where organisers have already invested money and made preparations, calling for reasonable notice and an opportunity to explore practical modifications.
The forum said dismantling should be avoided unless an immediate and serious safety hazard exists. It also stressed that religious traditions cannot exempt organisers from civic regulations, while warning against turning a dispute over public space into communal confrontation.
