Patna fire services will seal Durga Puja pandals that fail to comply with fire-safety guidelines from Sunday, as checks intensify ahead of the festival and the number of installations in the city rises by nearly one-third from last year.
DIG Nat warned organisers on Friday that safety gaps must be rectified by Sunday. Patna has around 1,500 pandals this year, including nearly 100 large installations, representing a 30-32% increase over last year, according to the fire services. The department has directed organisers to complete the required corrections before enforcement begins.
The prohibited items and activities include synthetic decorations, open flames, candles, diyas, halogen lights, fireworks, havan kunds and smoking inside pandal premises. The fire services have also cautioned organisers against relaxing precautions after Ashtami, when crowds and festival activity are expected to continue.
As part of the safety arrangements, the department will distribute fire-safety videos to organisers through pen drives and display emergency contact numbers at pandals. Volunteers will also be trained to respond to emergencies. The measures are intended to improve preparedness at temporary structures that can attract large gatherings during the festival.
The fire-safety action is taking place alongside Patna Municipal Corporation’s preparations for Durga Puja and Chhath. Municipal commissioner Yashpal Meena reviewed the arrangements on Friday and directed officials to meet deadlines for temporary immersion ponds, sanitation, lighting and access control at designated sites.
The PMC plans to construct a six-foot-deep immersion pond at Minar Ghat and a 150-foot-by-50-foot immersion area at Law College Ghat. Three additional ponds will be built at Kangan, Qila and Damrahi ghats. The existing pond at Patipul Ghat will be cleaned and repaired. Barricading and lighting will be provided at the immersion locations.
The corporation is also increasing sanitation capacity in areas expected to see festival activity. Thirty additional sanitation workers will be deployed in Patliputra circle and 140 in Azimabad circle. Ten additional workers have been approved for every ward, while a special cleanliness drive will continue through Chhath. Divers will remove idol remains and puja materials from immersion sites when required.
The municipal commissioner has ordered closer monitoring of the Ganga ghats because of fluctuating water levels. Officials have also been directed to deep-clean exposed areas and repair damaged manholes, slabs and catch pits. The fire services’ Sunday deadline and the PMC’s site-preparation instructions are the next immediate steps in the city’s festival safety and sanitation arrangements.
