Archive · 5 Oct 2026
Kolkata Sets Durga Puja Traffic Curbs Through Immersions
Kolkata Police has set special road rules for Durga Puja in 2026.
The rules begin on Mahalaya, October 10, and continue through the immersion period ending October 27.
Many goods vehicles will be barred from roads at certain times, although some essential deliveries and light vehicles have exceptions.
Some roads will close or become one-way during the busiest Puja days.
Buses will take different routes, and some auto-rickshaw and tram services will be limited.
Traffic around Kalighat temple will also be restricted at certain times.
During the immersions, police will guide vehicles along routes leading to designated ghats.
Officers may make further changes to traffic or pedestrian movement if needed.
Kolkata Police announced traffic measures covering Mahalaya on October 10, Puja days from October 13 to 19, and immersion days through October 27, 2026.
Goods vehicles face time-based entry and movement bans, with exemptions for specified essential supplies, emergency vehicles and some light vehicles.
Puja-day measures include road closures, one-way streets, bus diversions, limits on some auto-rickshaw and tram services, and parking bans.
Wheeled traffic around Kalighat temple will be restricted on October 18 and October 20 during specified hours for the Sindur festival.
During immersions, police will divert traffic on more than 50 roads, direct processions toward designated ghats and prohibit parking on key routes.
- Who
- Kolkata Police and people travelling around Kolkata.
- What
- Traffic restrictions, closures, diversions and vehicle limits for Durga Puja and immersions.
- When
- October 10 to October 27, 2026, with restrictions varying by date and time.
- Where
- Kolkata, including Kalighat, roads along the river and immersion routes to ghats.
- Why
- To manage traffic during Mahalaya, Durga Puja celebrations, the Sindur festival and immersion processions.
- Mahalaya
- October 10; goods vehicles generally cannot enter the city from 3am to 10pm, subject to listed exemptions.
- Puja-day restrictions
- October 13 to October 19, from Tritiya through Navami, with daily goods-vehicle restrictions and changing road controls.
- Light goods vehicles
- Vehicles weighing up to 1,600 kg have specified operating windows during the Puja restrictions.
- Kalighat
- Wheeled traffic is restricted near the temple from 5am to noon on October 18 and from 2pm to 7pm on October 20; emergency and press vehicles are exempt.
- Immersion period
- October 20 to October 27; separate goods-vehicle restrictions apply during the main immersion and Laxmi Puja immersion periods.
- Immersion traffic
- Diversions will affect more than 50 roads from 3pm until immersions finish; parking is prohibited on key routes.
- Police discretion
- Officers may divert vehicles and regulate pedestrians on any road as needed.
