(BSS)- Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangalee Hindu community, will be celebrated at 31,461 puja mandaps across the country including 252 in the capital.

This information was disclosed at a press conference at Dhakeshwari National Temple in the capital this morning.

President of Dhaka Mahanagar Puja Committee Jayanta Kumar Deb read out the written statement. Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad (BPUP) President Basudeb Dhar and General Secretary Santosh Sharma, Mahanagar Puja Committee General Secretary Dr Tapash Chandra Paul were present, among others.

The five-day annual festival will begin tomorrow with Kalparambho on the day of Maha Shashthi while it will come to an end with immersion of idols on October 13 on the day of Bijoya Dashami.

Jayanta Kumar Deb said in the last year, the number of puja mandaps has increased by four as Durga Puja was celebrated in 248 puja mandaps in the capital last year.

He urged the organizers of Durga Puja celebration in makeshift puja mandaps to make arrangements of puja in coordination with all concerned maintaining government directives.

Idols should be immersed in the specific day and highest cautionary and security measures should be taken in the Bijoya Dashami procession, he added.

BPUP general secretary Santosh Sharma said devotees could not arrange puja in various flood affected areas so that the total number of puja mandaps across the country has decreased compared to that of the previous year.

He said members of law enforcement agencies will discharge duties at puja mandaps across the country during the festival while volunteers will also be deployed in every mandaps.

Sharma said the Army chief also gave assurance of extending all-out cooperation from the army in holding the Durga Puja in a peaceful and joyous manner.

A central control room has been set up on the premises of Dhakeshwari National temple for monitoring the overall security in the capital under the arrangement of Mahanagar Puja Committee, he added.

During the press conference, several demands were placed to the government including three-day public holidays for Durga Puja from Ashtami to Bijoya Dashami, one day for Prabarana Purnima of Buddhist community and one day for Easter Sunday of Christian community.