Kolkata Police has deployed 12,000 personnel and 20,000 temporary home guards across the city from Chaturthi to manage Durga Puja crowds, law and order, and security, while a separate force of 6,000 traffic police and 6,000 temporary traffic home guards has been assigned to deal with congestion.
The deployment began on Wednesday as crowds increased around major puja pandals and shopping districts ahead of the festival. Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters, held a meeting with officers-in-charge of traffic guards and senior traffic officials on Tuesday to finalise measures for regulating vehicles and pedestrians.
According to the report, officers have been instructed to take strict action against helmetless motorcyclists and two-wheelers carrying three people. Surveillance and enforcement will focus on important routes, including the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, as police prepare for a rise in vehicle and pedestrian movement across the city.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda said on Tuesday that many people travel to the city from outside during the Puja period. He said uncontrolled movement of vehicles and pedestrians, particularly when people cross roads without adequate discipline, could create difficulties. The commissioner attributed the recent congestion during office hours partly to the increase in visitors and shoppers at the beginning of the festival, while assuring that the situation would ease soon.
The pressure is also being felt on the Maa Flyover, where traffic from New Town and Kolkata converges. Nanda said arrangements were being made to remove vehicles that break down on the flyover by bringing them to the side and using small cranes. The police commissioner said Kolkata Police was working to address the traffic-related problems and that the matter was also being discussed at the government level.
Lalbazar officials said large crowds had already gathered at several prominent puja pandals, while visitors from outside the city and last-minute festive shoppers were adding to road pressure. Gariahat in south Kolkata, New Market and Dharmatala in central Kolkata, and Hatibagan and Shyambazar in north Kolkata were identified among the areas seeing heavy shopping-related footfall.
Crowds were also reported around Jadavpur, Kasba, Park Circus and shopping malls in north Kolkata. From the afternoon onwards, office commuters add to the movement on city roads, creating slower traffic in several areas. Traffic officials have been deployed to respond to congestion and restore movement as quickly as possible, according to Lalbazar.
