Agartala, 24th September 2026 : The Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) has decided to continue its annual ‘Sharad Samman’ awards to recognise puja committees for their creativity, organisation and adherence to civic guidelines during the Durga Puja festivities.
Speaking about the initiative, AMC Mayor Dipak Majumder said puja committees that follow the civic body’s prescribed rules and standards while constructing pandals, gates, installing illumination and preparing themes will be considered for the awards.
At the city level, the AMC will present five major awards covering categories such as the best idol, best mandap decoration, best illumination, best theme and the best women-led puja committee. Each city-level award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000 along with a golden cup.
In addition, the AMC has divided the city into four zones, with four awards to be presented in each zone for the best mandap, idol, illumination and theme. A total of 16 zonal awards will carry cash prizes of Rs 25,000 each.
Majumder said the winners would be selected based on the assessment and recommendations of designated judges and officials who will visit different puja committees. He said a meeting was held at the AMC conference hall on Thursday to discuss the judging process and arrangements for this year’s Sharad Samman.
The meeting was attended by AMC Commissioner Saju Vahid, IAS, Deputy Mayor Monika Das Dutta, MIC members, zonal chairpersons, corporators, deputy municipal officials, SDMs and members of the judging panels.
Discussions focused on the difficulties faced during last year’s judging process and measures that could make this year’s assessment and visits more efficient and transparent. The participants also reviewed arrangements for making the Sharad festival more beautiful, disciplined and citizen-friendly.
Majumder said the AMC would continue to ensure a transparent and systematic process in selecting the award-winning puja committees.
