The Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Thursday held a meeting to review preparations for the upcoming Sharad festival and discuss the arrangements for the annual ‘Sharad Samman’ awards.
The meeting was held at the AMC conference hall under the leadership of Mayor Dipak Majumder. AMC Commissioner Saju Wahid, IAS, Deputy Mayor Monika Das Dutta, members of the Mayor-in-Council (MIC), zonal chairpersons and corporators, along with officials and members of the judging panels, attended the meeting.
Speaking about the Sharad Samman awards, Mayor Dipak Majumder said that puja committees that comply with AMC guidelines and standards in constructing pandals, gates, lighting and thematic decorations are considered for the awards.
He said that five major awards would be presented at the city level for excellence in idol-making, pandal decoration, lighting, theme creation, and to a women-led puja committee. Each city-level award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a golden trophy.
In addition, AMC will give awards in four zones. Four awards will be presented in each zone for excellence in pandal decoration, idol-making, lighting and theme, making a total of 16 zonal awards. Each zonal award carries a cash prize of Rs 25,000.
Majumder said the winners would be selected based on the assessment and recommendations of the designated judges, who will visit different puja committees and evaluate their arrangements according to the prescribed criteria.
The meeting also reviewed the experience of previous years and discussed measures to make the judging process and overall festival management more effective. The judges shared their views on difficulties faced in previous years and suggested ways to improve arrangements this year.
The Mayor said the judging teams had expressed satisfaction with the AMC’s arrangements over the past four years, particularly the coordination and reception provided during their visits to different puja committees.
The meeting also discussed various measures to make the Sharad festival more attractive, disciplined and citizen-friendly, while ensuring that AMC guidelines are followed by all puja committees.
