Curtains to fall on Ahmedabad Education Society ground after Durga Puja

A cocktail of emotional and disappointment-filled messages filled the social media after Ahmedabad Education Society (AES) decided not to lease the land behind Doordarshan for public events any further. The eleventh-hour decision has raised the eyebrow of many Durga Puja organisers.

The puja, that will be organized by Bengali Cultural Association (BCA), is likely to be the last event here even as the state's largest and most-awaited food festival will be taken off this ground.

The 16th Sattvik food festival, organized by the Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI), that celebrates traditional food will also have the last taste of this ground. While the AES gave permission to conduct the Puja, they ground authorities have asked BCA from serving non-vegetarian platter.

"We were informed by the AES officials that they are cancelling all events from April. However, since all arrangements were made it was impossible for us to look for a different venue. They allowed us to use the land but with an undertaking that we will not have vendors selling non-vegetarian food. Since we wanted the land for the Puja, we had to adhere to their condition," Kanak Das Adhikari, Secretary, BCA said.

BCA has been hosting Durga Puja on this ground for the past 11 years. This ground also was convenient for visitors from both parts of the city. "The venue will be changed next year. We do not know where will we get such a huge space. Nearly 25,000 people visit every day at our pandal. So we would need a space for the Puja, cultural events, eatery and parking," Adhikari said. When DNA spoke to Sanjay Lalbhai, Chairman of the Governing Board of AES, he denied of having any knowledge of the same. "All that is a rumour. And the governing board decides everything, I am unaware of the details."

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