Durga Puja: Public servants set for 4-day holiday stretch

Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community, will begin this Wednesday with Mahashasthi and conclude on October 13, Sunday, with the immersion of idols on Bijaya Dashami. 

In celebration of this 5-day event, government employees will enjoy four consecutive days off.

Mahfuz Alam, special assistant to the chief adviser, announced that Thursday (October 10) will also be declared a holiday. This notification will be issued on Tuesday (October 8), he said after visiting the Dhakeshwari National Temple. 

As a result, the combination of Durga Puja and the weekend will create a continuous break. 

With Friday and Saturday as weekends, and Sunday being a public holiday for Bijaya Dashami, government employees will have a break from Thursday through Sunday. 

This extended holiday will apply to all government, semi-government, autonomous, and semi-autonomous institutions across the country.

Schools, colleges closed for 11 days 

Meanwhile, schools and colleges will remain closed for 11 consecutive days during Durga Puja. 

This extended holiday period includes closures for the Durga Puja, Fateha-e-Yazdahm, Lakshmi Puja, and Prabarana Purnima, as well as the usual Friday and Saturday weekends. 

The academic calendar, published at the start of the year by the Ministry of Education, confirmed these closures. The official Durga Puja holiday will run from October 9 to October 17 (Thursday). Since October 18 and 19 fall on Friday and Saturday, educational institutions will reopen on Sunday, October 20.