like previous years, the Puja Committee heads and their executives would be appointed as special police officers (SPOs) for the ensuing five-day Durga Puja and the immersion festival, just the day after the Pujas, in Cuttack. The SPOs would be responsible to maintain law and order and traffic in their respective areas in close coordination with the police.
This was announced by Twin City Police Commissioner RK Sharma here on Thursday after taking stock of the security arrangements for the biggest annual extravaganza of the city.
“This has been the practice in the city since the late 1970s ever since the Puja Committee concept was introduced by the then District Magistrate,” said a retired police officer.
This practice has, however, given rise to the concept of appointing SPOs now in which along with the local head, at least five to ten other volunteers in each Puja Committee is given special police powers to maintain law and order in their respective areas.
“It’s the people of the city at their individual local capacity guard against the intruders and the mischief mongers are brought to the books by the local heads and not by the police,” says an educationist and the head of a Puja Committee. He added that even traffic management too rests on local volunteers.
Following the same tradition, the police this time too have given its green signal to appoint SPOs, informed RK Sharma.
“As part of our special drive to ensure smooth and peaceful Pujas, we have already undertaken a drive to execute all pending NBWs and arrested many persons having criminal antecedents,” Dr Sharma said, adding that the same drive would continue till the end of the Puja season.
He said special arrangements have been made for smooth traffic in the city; more so because of the traffic restrictions on age-old Taladanda Canal bridge on NH-5 as it has been declared “unsafe” by the NHAI. Elaborating on it, city DCP S Praveen Kumar informed that plying of heavy and very heavy vehicles over the bridge has been restricted and diversion routes for them have been provided.