Raghubar Das Performs Ground-Breaking for This Year’s Pandal
Key Points:
- Former CM Raghubar Das performs bhoomi pujan for Agrico pandal
- This year’s construction budget stands at around ₹15 lakh
- Idol and pandal work assigned to Belda and Contai artisans
JAMSHEDPUR – Ground-breaking rituals for this year’s Agrico Durga Puja pandal were performed on Tuesday by former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das.
Das, who also serves as patron of the local puja committee, completed the bhoomi pujan formally. The ceremony marked the start of construction work for the festival.
Committee president Y.P. Singh and general secretary Bhupendra Singh attended the event. Several other office-bearers were also present at the occasion.
Meanwhile, a large number of devotees from the Agrico area gathered to witness the ceremony. Organisers said the mood remained festive throughout the ritual.
This year’s pandal construction carries a budget of roughly ₹15 lakh. The figure covers structural work planned for the upcoming celebrations.
A skilled craftsman from Belda has been engaged to build the Durga idol separately. That work alone is expected to cost around ₹2 lakh.
Meanwhile, experienced artisans and labourers from Contai in West Bengal will construct the pandal structure. Both teams are known for elaborate festival work across the region.
Organisers said this year’s celebrations will feature a grand pandal and an eye-catching idol of the goddess. In addition, a special fair has been planned to run alongside the festivities in Jamshedpur.
The Agrico Durga Puja Committee has appealed to residents citywide to visit the pandal this year. It said devotees would be able to enjoy both the idol’s darshan and the accompanying fair.
The bhoomi pujan comes amid a broader wave of festival preparations across the city. Elsewhere, groups have also been organising festival events and temple celebrations this season.
Other neighbourhoods have similarly begun early pandal construction work ahead of the festival. A separate bhoomi poojan ceremony was also held recently for a themed pandal in Adityapur.
Das’s appearance at Tuesday’s event follows his recent public engagements in the region. He has separately been vocal on state government policy matters in past weeks.
Other local leaders have also stayed active in community affairs recently. MLA Saryu Roy, for instance, recently took on a new institutional role in the city.
