Sonajhuri Haat in Santiniketan will remain closed from October 16 to October 21 during the Durga Puja period, after the local administration, forest department and haat committee decided that the temporary suspension was necessary to manage tourist crowds and protect the surrounding woodland environment.
The closure will run from Shashthi through Vijayadashami. During these six days, local artisans and traders associated with the handicraft market will assist with cleaning work in the forest area, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin – Bengal.
Although trading at Sonajhuri Haat will stop, visitors will still be allowed to attend the Hiralini Durga Puja organised in the Sonajhuri forest. The annual puja is entering its 26th year and is expected to draw additional visitors during the festive period.
Sonajhuri Haat is one of Santiniketan’s most popular visitor attractions. Local artisans and traders usually sell clothing, jewellery and other handicrafts from stalls set up amid the natural surroundings. The market also attracts visitors who come to take photographs, shoot videos and make social media reels.
The combination of the festive crowd, the market’s regular visitors and people attending the puja could make crowd management difficult, the report said. Officials and the haat committee are expecting tourist numbers to rise during Durga Puja, as they typically do during the festival period.
Sukesh Chakraborty, a member of the haat committee, said the market would be difficult to manage if it remained open during the festival. “There is a huge crowd in Sonajhuri during Durga Puja. Even if the haat remains open at that time, controlling the crowd would be impossible. That is why the decision has been taken to close the haat,” he said, according to the report.
Chakraborty also appealed to visitors to avoid throwing plastic in the forest and to help maintain cleanliness and the environment. The decision to close the market has been linked primarily to concerns over the pressure created by large visitor numbers and the potential impact on the forest’s environment and natural balance.
The closure comes amid an ongoing legal dispute over the market’s status. Environmental activist Subhash Dutta has filed a case before the National Green Tribunal questioning the legality of the haat’s operation on forest department land. The matter remains pending, and the tribunal has already sought affidavits from the forest department and other concerned administrative departments.
Despite the legal proceedings, commercial activity at the handicraft market has continued. The temporary closure during Durga Puja therefore represents a short-term crowd and cleanliness measure rather than a permanent decision on the market’s future. The market is scheduled to remain shut until Vijayadashami, after which its operations are expected to be addressed under the existing administrative and legal framework.
