Prayagraj : Ahead of Durga Puja and Navratri celebrations, the district administration has drawn up an elaborate security, fire-safety and crowd-management plan, making fire department clearance mandatory for all puja pandals and issuing detailed guidelines for organisers.
Officials said all police personnel and volunteers would be briefed about their specific roles and responsibilities. “We are focused on security arrangements and are coordinating with the committees,” a senior police officer said. Alongside the fire-safety plan, police have prepared separate arrangements for crowd control and emergency response, particularly during peak evening hours. Senior police officers have advised puja committees to deploy additional volunteers to manage crowds, especially between 7pm and 2am. Volunteers will work in shifts to ensure uninterrupted monitoring. Major pandals will remain under close police surveillance, with trained volunteers assisting security personnel in handling emergencies such as overcrowding, confusion or fire incidents. Police stations concerned will remain in constant touch with committee members regarding security measures. Installation of CCTV cameras has been made mandatory, while additional police personnel will be deployed to regulate crowd movement.
Chief fire officer Chandra Mohan told TOI: “We have asked puja pandal committees to hire licensed contractors for lighting arrangements. He said every pandal must be equipped with at least two advanced fire extinguishers and adequate water storage facilities. There should be at least two exits located opposite each other. We have also directed organisers to ensure emergency lighting and refrain from holding firecracker shows in and around pandals.
As per the guidelines, every pandal must have at least 4.5 metres of open space around it to facilitate evacuation in case of an emergency. The fire department has directed puja committees to use fire-resistant materials for constructing pandals and ensure adequate safety measures for devotees.