Only big pandals mean fat money? Why small Durga Puja committees in West Bengal are struggling

West Bengal’s Durga Puja economy is showing a widening divide between large organisers and smaller community celebrations, even as the number of pujas across the state increases.

Government data showed that 13,000 more pujas were organised this year than last year. However, the commercial benefits of the festive season remained uneven, with major puja committees, shopping malls, organised retailers and e-commerce platforms reporting brisk business, while smaller organisers, traditional markets and hawkers struggled to keep pace, news agency PTI reported.

Large and established puja organisers reported fully booked outdoor advertising slots, with rates rising by at least 20% amid the growing use of LED displays. Smaller committees, however, faced weaker advertiser demand, leaving some advertising inventory unsold.

Kajol Sarkar, an office-bearer of the Forum for Durgotsab, an umbrella body representing more than 550 community Durga Puja committees in Kolkata, Howrah and their suburbs, said advertisers were concentrating their spending on selected routes rather than distributing it across locations.

According to him, around 30% of outdoor advertising slots at smaller pujas remained vacant.

"Advertisement rates at big-budget pujas went up by at least 20 per cent due to LED displays, but brands rationalised spends by going slow on smaller roads and puja committees," said Amit Mitra, executive vice-president of Pioneer Publicity Corporation told PTI.

Park Street, Camac Street and Theatre Road emerged as key advertising hubs, partly because these areas fall within Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's Bhabanipur constituency.

"We are seeing strong demand across women's wear, kidswear, footwear, men's casual wear and beauty products, alongside high-value purchases at leading retail outlets," he told PTI.

Footfall increased from nearly five lakh in September to around seven lakh in October. Festive business was expected to reach approximately ₹38 crore during the month, Pansari said.

Department store chains such as Style Bazaar, Bazaar Kolkata, Fashion Bazaar and Zudio also attracted heavy crowds across Kolkata and its surrounding areas, reflecting demand among middle- and mass-market consumers.

E-commerce companies reportedly recorded around ₹24,000 crore in sales during the first two days of the festive season.

CWBTA president Sushil Poddar said the concern was not the expansion of online shopping itself, but the pricing disparity between digital platforms and physical stores.

"Traditional retailers are losing business because they simply cannot match prices offered by large online platforms," he said.

Asit Kumar Saha, a representative of the Hawkers Joint Action Committee, said online shopping, department stores and malls had affected small hawkers in traditional markets, including MG Road, Burrabazar, Hatibagan, Shyambazar, Jadavpur and, to some extent, Gariahat.

"The threat of eviction by Kolkata Municipal Corporation engineers after the Puja has added to their anxiety. Customers are bargaining more, thinning margins or even forcing sales at a loss," he said.

"There is a push by the government that is not favourable to small retailers or hawkers. The government in Bengal is looking for big capital and is trying to protect its interests. There is a concerted effort to sideline small traders and hawkers by the new dispensation," Kar said.

He also noted the role of large businesses in advertising around Puja celebrations.

"Kolkata was a place for everyone. The changes show we are moving along the rest of India," he said.

Pointing out that the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector provides employment to around 600 million people, Kar said the government should take a proactive approach to protecting small businesses, which are less prone to international shocks.

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