Barrackpore police have announced tighter security arrangements for the festive season, including drone surveillance at major Durga Puja pandals, active deployment of women personnel and strict action against harassment and noise-rule violations.
The measures were discussed at an administrative meeting at Sukanta Sadan in Barrackpore on Monday, where West Bengal Labour and Transport Minister Arjun Singh directed the police not to treat complaints of lewd remarks or harassment of women at Puja venues lightly. He also warned against excessive use of DJs after Mahalaya.
The plan covers the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate, which has 23 police stations and has granted permission for nearly 3,000 Puja committees, according to Commissioner Amit Kumar Singh. The arrangements are intended to address both public safety and crowd management during the festival period.
Large Puja pandals will be monitored using drones under the security plan. The police have also asked organisers to maintain adequate numbers of volunteers to help manage crowds. The commissioner has inspected arrangements at major Puja venues in Kanchrapara and Halisahar, the report said.
The emphasis on women’s safety comes as large festival gatherings bring together residents and visitors in concentrated public spaces. The minister instructed the police to respond firmly to complaints involving harassment or insulting comments directed at women inside the pandals. The source report did not provide details of a separate complaint or incident that prompted the directive.
Noise control is another part of the enforcement plan. Singh cautioned against the unchecked use of DJs from Mahalaya onwards, indicating that sound regulations would be monitored during the festival period. The report did not specify the decibel limits, enforcement mechanism or penalties that would apply in individual cases.
The meeting also included the distribution of government grant cheques to 1,100 Puja committees at Sukanta Sadan. The remaining committees are expected to receive their cheques through local police stations. The report did not state the total value of the grants or identify the funding allocation for each committee.
The arrangements place responsibility on both the police and Puja organisers. While the commissionerate is overseeing surveillance, inspections and enforcement, organisers have been asked to provide volunteers for crowd control. This creates a local coordination layer around the larger police deployment, particularly at the biggest venues and in areas with high visitor numbers.
Minister Kalyan Chakraborty, legislators Ratna Debnath and Kaustav Bagchi, and other officials attended the meeting. According to the report, administrative sources said Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari may inaugurate four or five major Puja venues in the industrial belt over the next few days. Further details of those visits and the final deployment arrangements were not provided.
