Durga Puja 2023: Massive security cover in 7 Odisha districts

Elaborate security arrangements have been made across seven districts of Odisha's Central Range for Durga Puja. IGP Satyajit Naik said over 40 platoons, drones, and CCTV cameras are deployed to ensure peaceful celebrations and idol immersion.

Elaborate, multi-layered, and comprehensive security arrangements have been put in place across seven districts under the jurisdiction of the Central Range to ensure the peaceful celebration of Durga Puja and the seamless execution of the upcoming idol immersion processions, a senior police official confirmed here on Wednesday.

Extensive Security Measures Deployed

Speaking to ANI, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Central Range Cuttack Satyajit Naik stated that extensive security blueprints have been operationalised across urban and rural belts, considering the heavy influx of devotees visiting puja pandals and prominent pilgrimage centres across the region. "There are 1,243 Durga Puja mandaps in the seven districts of Central Range. We also have prominent Shaktipeeths in our range. So, elaborate, comprehensive police arrangements have been made for the celebration of Durga Puja and immersion processions. We have deployed more than 40 platoons of forces along with the Home Guards," Naik said.

The senior police officer emphasised that district police leadership has been directed to enforce strict vigilance and maintain constant ground supervision throughout the culmination of the festive period. "Instructions have been imparted to all SPs to remain alert at all times," Naik said, adding that field formations are closely monitoring communal sensitivity, public order, and law enforcement logistics along designated immersion corridors.

Advanced Surveillance and Special Teams

"To guarantee total public safety, the deployed police force will work in tandem with specialised reserve battalions and traffic management wings. Drone surveillance, static CCTV cameras, and mobile reconnaissance patrols have been integrated at vital intersections and high-density carnival areas", Naik said.

Special quick-reaction teams and plainclothes intelligence operatives have also been strategically deployed near puja venues to thwart antisocial elements and prevent theft or harassment.

Collaboration and Regulatory Adherence

Furthermore, the administration has engaged closely with local puja organisers and peace committees to ensure strict adherence to standardised regulatory norms, fire safety protocols, designated immersion timelines, and regulated noise limits at designated riverbanks and water ghats, ensuring that the grand annual festivities conclude smoothly and peacefully across all seven districts of the Central Range.

The tight security arrangements in Odisha come in the backdrop of a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata, West Bengal, in which 19 people were killed and 25 others injured.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)