The district administration has started making elaborate arrangements to ensure a safe peaceful Durga Puja. Taking a stern step this year, the police have ensured that most of the 290-odd Durga Puja pandals across the city be equipped with CCTV cameras.
Moreover, in a maiden initiative by the East Singhbhum district administration to catch trouble mongers during festive season videographers would be roped in to do rounds of the different puja pandals along with administrative officials and concerned police station officials during Durga Puja.
East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amitabh Kaushal and East Singhbhum senior superintendent of police, Anoop T Mathew have asked the magistrates and police officials entrusted with zones and super-zones to carry videographers for photography of any incident during the puja festivity.
“We want to ensure peaceful and safe festive season. As a step in this regard the magistrates and the concerned police officials will be visiting the spot along with videographer and conduct complete photography of the spot. This would be used by the police to nail the culprits and use the video as evidence against them during the probe and judicial procedures,” said Mathew.
The entire East Singhbhum district has been divided into 25 zones (in terms of police stations) and six super-zones (cluster of police stations) during a joint meeting of the district administration on law and order during the festive season (during Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath).
Amitabh Kaushal. Said that each of the zone, there would be a magistrate and local police station officer-in-charge coordinating with the respective puja committees, peace committees falling under the local police station. While in super-zones a senior administration official and DSP rank official will be coordinating with the zonal-officials for effective monitoring of law and order situation.
All the puja committees (nearly 290 in city) have been asked to provide recordings from CCTV cameras to the administration whenever required.
"The zonal and super-zonal officials have already been asked to conduct meeting with puja committees every week and communicate administration directive as and when required," added the SSP.
“We have asked the puja committees particularly, those receiving huge crowds at their respective puja pandals to install CCTV sets without lapse or face the action. The police personnel will be in direct contact with the volunteers sitting at the control room so that during any untoward incident the police may reach at the spot on time,” explained the senior SP.
He said that a large number of footfalls of revellers are seen during this four-day puja as people, including women and girls use to come for the pandal hopping.
The SSP said parts strategic location in Bistupur, Sakchi and Kalimati Road have already been covered with the CCTV cameras, but the puja festivity will be safer if the pandal organisers too install the similar gadgets at their pandals.
Rapid Action Force and Jharkhand Jaguar personnel jointly with the local police will keep its mobility in the sensitive areas during the five hectic days and policewomen in plain clothes will be deployed at puja pandals to keep a check on the movement of the crowd.