Along with the rest of the State, the Udalguri district administration is also gearing up to ensure that just-round-the-corner Durga Puja festival passes off without a hitch. In this context, a meeting was held at the conference hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office in Udalguri on Thursday. The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Commissioner of Udalguri, Dilip Kumar Das, and was attended by the Superintendent of Police (SP), Udalguri, Rajveer Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Bhaskar Jyoti Manta, ADC Jatin Bora, ADC Pranjal Das, along with the general secretaries and secretaries of all puja committees of Udalguri district.
The DC asked all the committees to abide by the rules and regulations charted out for smooth conduct of the Durga Puja festival. He also asked all the puja committee members to liaise with their respective nearest police stations to ensure that no untoward incidents take place during the puja days. He directed the committees to put into service volunteers who could “keep a hawk eye on any nefarious element moving in and around the puja pandal”.
Both the DC and the SP asked the puja committees to install CCTV cameras in their respective puja pandals. They were also asked to install fire extinguishers and arrange for adequate lighting inside the pandals, especially during the evening hours. DC Das also directed the puja committee members to chart out proper entry and exit routes for the devotees so as to avoid chaos and also to submit an undertaking that will certify that they will abide by the instructions that they were asked to follow by the district administration and they will be held responsible for any type of lapse on their part.
The SP asked the puja committees to arrange for proper traffic management by liaising with the traffic police of their respective areas and to ensure that eve-teasing or molestation incidents – which usually happen in crowded places – are not reported. “The consumption of alcohol within the puja pandal will not be tolerated,” said DC Das and he exhorted the committees to maintain a clean and hygienic environment in keeping with the spirit of Swachh Bharat Mission in their respective puja pandals by putting up posters of Swachh Bharat Mission, using dustbins, and making people aware how essential it is to stay clean by engaging Swachhgrahis, etc.
Another meeting was held at the conference hall of the Sub-divisional Officer SDO (Civil) Bhergaon regarding the necessary steps which has to be taken by all the puja committees’ vis-à-vis Durga Puja celebrations at Bhergaon sub-division. The meeting was presided over by the In-Charge Bhergaon, SDO (Civil), Dithakananda Hazarika and was attended by the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Bhergaon, B Purkayastha, and the Circle Officer of Khoirabari, Rittutom Bora. In this meeting too, SDO (C) Hazarika asked all the puja committees to follow all rules and regulations “to the t” failing which they will be held responsible and taken to task for the same.