STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: With Durga Puja drawing closer, two puja committees in Guwahati are facing delays in their pandal preparations after Kolkata-based artist Sudipta Pal allegedly failed to complete contracted work despite receiving payments exceeding Rs 10 lakh.
The Chatribari Durga Puja Committee has already approached the police with a complaint, while the Nayan Tara Durga Puja Committee in Kumarpara is weighing its next legal steps. Both committees had hired Pal for their pandals' themes and structural designs.
At Chatribari, the agreement with Pal was worth Rs 8 lakh. Kamaljit, a committee member, said the organisers had paid him approximately Rs 5.35 lakh, but only half of the assigned work was finished before the artist allegedly left the site.
Kamaljit claimed that Pal repeatedly asked for money during the initial stages and later resorted to blackmail. The committee, he said, was unaware of when Pal left Guwahati.
According to the committee member, Pal subsequently asked for another Rs 1 lakh, assuring the organisers that he would complete the outstanding work. While workers associated with the artist reportedly remained at the site until Monday, the committee could not locate Pal. It then lodged a complaint seeking action.
The Kumarpara committee's case has followed a similar course. It had separately engaged Pal for its pandal design, and, according to Kamaljit, paid him more than Rs 5.50 lakh. The committee is now considering filing a complaint over the alleged disappearance.
The unfinished projects have placed both committees under pressure as they work to complete their pandals before the celebrations begin.
The allegations could not be independently verified, and Pal's response was unavailable at the time of filing this report.
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