West Bengal / Laser show at Kolkata's 'Burj Khalifa' pandal cancelled as pilots of 3 flights complain

KOLKATA: The laser show at east Kolkata’s Sreebhumi Durga puja pandal, which resembles the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, had to be called off on Monday evening after the pilots of three planes complained to the air traffic control (ATC) tower at the city airport that they found it difficult to land the aircraft . The airport is located close to the venue of the popular puja.

“As soon as the ATC received the complaints, the local police were informed and the laser show was stopped. There has been no more problem since then,” a senior officer at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose international airport told HT on Tuesday.

Though the height of the tower meets the limit prescribed by the Airports Authority of India, laser shows are banned around airports across the country since strong beams of light cause visibility problems for pilots during landing, said an official at the airport.

Patronized by the state’s fire services minister Sujit Bose, the puja organised at Sreebhumi is known for its unique themes and grandeur.

Kolkata’s Sreebhumi Sporting Club It's Burj Khalifa-themed Durga Puja Pandal.

The pandal, modelled on the 828-metre-high Burj Khalifa tower, the world’s tallest building, has been a major hit among puja revellers this year. The crowds were swelling on Tuesday night.

The puja organisers, however, claimed that the laser show was stopped in view of the pandemic restrictions since more people were visiting the pandal because of it.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the puja on October 9. Bose said during the inauguration that a team visited Dubai before making the replica.