Bhubaneswar: As the state is gearing up for the Durga puja festival which is hardly a month away, Orissa police Saturday intensified its efforts to check forcible collection of puja chanda or donations across the state.
State Director General of Police (DGP) KB Singh has issued a circular in this regard asking superintendents of police (SPs) across the districts to take stringent action against those who are forcibly collecting donation.
All police stations and inspectors general (IGs) were also instructed to book extortion cases against those who collect donations forcibly.
Meanwhile, Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Commissionerate of Police has decided to adopt zero tolerance in this issue and will go tough against persons and puja committees for indulging in the wrongful practice.
“We are requesting people to inform us if someone forcibly asks them to pay puja chanda and we will take stern action against them,” said police commissioner Y.B. Khurania.
The DGP issued a circular after the private bus owners’ association threatened to halt bus services during puja protesting the forcible donation collection.
“If the practice of forcible collection of puja chanda continues, we will be forced to stop bus services during the festival,” said Barada Prasanna Acharya, treasurer of All Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association, after an emergency meeting.
Notably, there were many incidents in the past when bus operators, truckers and general public had to face the wrath of anti-socials if they failed to pay the donations as per the demand of some puja committee members.
It appears as if these festivals have turned out to be a source of income for some miscreants with the bus, autorickshaw and truck drivers being their soft targets who have to pass through a road several times in a day and every time they have to shell out money.
Post News Network
