Basirhat police have stepped up security preparations at puja pandals and immersion ghats, inspecting visitor access, emergency arrangements, parking and surveillance systems ahead of the festival. Police officers also reviewed preparations at several immersion points along the Ichhamati river in the Basirhat and Taki areas near the India-Bangladesh border.
Superintendent of Police Aloknanda Bhowal inspected puja pandals to assess whether they were being constructed in accordance with prescribed safety rules, according to a report by Bartaman Patrika – Kolkata. The inspection also examined whether entry and exit routes for visitors were sufficiently wide and safe.
Pandal authorities were instructed to designate separate parking areas outside the venues so that vehicles do not obstruct visitor movement or emergency access. Police also directed organisers to maintain adequate firefighting equipment inside the pandals and to operate closed-circuit camera surveillance for monitoring the premises.
The instructions place crowd movement and emergency preparedness at the centre of the local festival security plan. Organisers were asked to deploy sufficient volunteers on puja days to help regulate visitor flows. The report did not specify the number of volunteers required at each venue or identify a single citywide crowd-management plan.
The inspection extended beyond the pandals to the riverfront locations used for idol immersion. Police officers visited several ghats along the Ichhamati in Basirhat and Taki to review preparations connected with immersion activities. The river is located along the India-Bangladesh border, making the management of these sites relevant to both public safety and the orderly conduct of festival operations.
At the pandals, the measures outlined by police cover four operational areas: safe construction, controlled access, fire protection and surveillance. At the ghats, the reported inspection indicates that authorities are assessing immersion-related arrangements before the main festival days. The source report does not provide details on barricading, medical teams, lighting, water rescue personnel or immersion schedules.
For residents and visitors, the arrangements will affect how people enter and leave crowded venues, where vehicles can be parked and how quickly organisers can respond to an emergency. The use of volunteers is also intended to support police personnel in managing visitor movement during periods of high footfall.
The inspection follows the police administration’s review of both festival venues and immersion points. The next operational step is for puja committees to implement the instructions on parking, firefighting equipment, CCTV monitoring and volunteer deployment before the festival days and immersion activities begin.