Artisan gives final touches to an idol of Goddess Durga
The DM asked the organisers to arrange emergency lights and generators at Puja pandals as backup lighting and said that idol immersion would be permitted only in ponds, tanks and water bodies with sufficient water, and no new tradition would be allowed. Police commissioner Mohit Agarwal directed all the ACPs and station in-charges to hold coordination meetings with committee members at their respective police stations and remain alert. Directives were also issued for deployment of women police personnel at Ramleela and fair venues, adequate deployment for traffic management and crowd control. Organisers were asked to ensure proper barricading at pandal sites, Ramleela venues and Ravan Dahan locations, and to conclude programmes within the scheduled time. He appealed to organisers not to block entire roads during idol immersion processions and strictly follow designated routes. He also urged them to report any misleading information on social media to the police administration. Organisers were also directed to deploy adequate volunteers at puja pandals, provide them with separate jerseys, badges or identity cards, and submit their lists to the concerned police stations. Large pandals were advised to install CCTV cameras to strengthen security.
Varanasi: District magistrate Satyendra Kumar and police commissioner Mohit Agarwal jointly chaired a District Peace Committee meeting at Traffic Police Lines auditorium on Friday to review preparations for the peaceful conduct of Durga Puja and Dussehra celebrations.