This year, plot booking for Poush Mela will be done online. This step is being taken to bring transparency to stall booking. Visva-Bharati Vice-Chancellor Prabir Kumar Ghosh announced this after a meeting with Birbhum district administration. Every year, allegations of corruption arise regarding plot booking. This step is being taken to prevent that. A committee will visit on December 22 to see on-site whether those who booked plots have actually received them.
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When will stall booking begin?
The stall booking process for the traditional Poush Mela will start from December 15. The fair will run from December 23 to 28 at Purba Palli ground in Santiniketan. On Thursday, a meeting about the fair was held in the conference room of Visva-Bharati's Central Library. Under the supervision of the Visva-Bharati Vice-Chancellor, the meeting was attended by Working Secretary Bikash Mukhopadhyay, Acting Public Relations Officer Atig Ghosh, Santiniketan Trust Secretary Anil Konar and member Kalikaranjan Chattopadhyay. District Police Superintendent Amandeep and District Magistrate Dhabal Jain joined the meeting virtually. From the state were Industries Minister Chandranath Singh, Birbhum Zilla Panchayat Chairperson Kajal Sheikh, Bolpur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Animesh Kanti Manna, Bolpur Municipality Chairperson Parna Ghosh, and officials from various departments.
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Prabir Kumar said, "To prevent black marketing, booking will be online. In 2025, stall providers at the fair can book plots online on December 15 and 16. Others can do so from December 17." Industries Minister Chandranath Singh said, "Birbhum district administration will provide all cooperation to conduct the fair properly." Additional Superintendent of Police (Bolpur) Rana Mukhopadhyay said, "There will be round-the-clock police camps. For security, there will be plainclothes police, women police, surveillance teams, CCTV cameras, watch towers. Extra attention will be paid to traffic as well."
