Bhubaneswar: As Bhubaneswar gears up for the Durga Puja, the Commissionerate of Police has so far granted permission to 195 Puja mandaps, which have been classified into three categories—A, B and C—for security and fire-safety arrangements. All Puja mandaps will be brought under CCTV surveillance, while the Commissionerate Police has opened seven control rooms for monitoring. Around 300 police officers, 40 platoons of force and anti-snatching teams will be deployed across the City.
Women police personnel will also be deployed at strategic locations to prevent incidents of snatching and other offences. These decisions were taken at a Durga Puja preparation meeting chaired by BMC Mayor Sulochana Das Thursday, where the civic body and police reviewed arrangements for the festival. Security arrangements, which earlier continued until midnight, will be extended beyond 12 midnight this year. Patrolling and fire-safety checks will be carried out according to three designated sectors. The meeting also directed BMC, WATCO, R&B and TP CODL to complete road repairs, pothole filling and removal of construction debris within seven days. The BMC will strengthen sanitation around Puja mandaps and has formed a special cleaning team for the festive period. Food safety has been given special emphasis.
The BMC Commissioner directed food safety teams to regularly inspect food being sold at and around mandaps during the celebrations to ensure hygiene and prevent the sale of unsafe food. The Commissioner also directed all line departments not to undertake road digging anywhere in the City till the end of October, keeping in view the Puja season and the upcoming Urban Mobility Conclave here. Puja committees have been asked to ensure the trimming of tree branches along immersion routes and repair of fallen or hanging electrical wires.
The BMC Environment Department will also undertake tree-trimming work along roads leading to pandals. For immersion, Puja committees will use designated temporary immersion ponds. The police sought adequate lighting and measures to address hanging wires at immersion sites in order to prevent inconvenience to devotees. The BMC has also intensified street-lighting arrangements. Existing streetlights are being checked across the City, while temporary lighting will be installed at dark spots to facilitate the movement of visitors at night. The meeting further stressed a strict ban on single-use plastic and polythene in and around mandaps. Additional dustbins will be placed near mandaps and dedicated sanitation workers will undertake cleaning twice a day. Puja committees raised issues concerning road repairs, street lights, high-mast lights, garbage clearance and illegal parking. The civic authorities assured that these grievances would be addressed on a priority basis.
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