Prayagraj: With Durga Puja celebrations underway and a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in West Bengal on Saturday night, Prayagraj Police went on alert. The police held several meetings on Sunday with SHOs, peace committee members and others to review crowd management and safety measures at all festival venues.Police Commissioner Piyush Mordia told TOI that the force was already on high alert and had made arrangements for safe and secure festivities, but the West Bengal incident had prompted a fresh sensitisation exercise. “Our objective is to ensure that no such incident occurs here. All stakeholders have again been sensitised and instructed to ensure cent per cent compliance with the prescribed safety and security measures,” he said.The compliance drive covers not only Durga Puja pandals but also around 200 Ramlila events being organised across the district and preparations for Dussehra celebrations. Police have asked organisers to ensure unobstructed entry and exit routes, adequate lighting, fire-safety arrangements and sufficient volunteers, particularly at venues expected to witness heavy evening footfall.Around 2,000 Durga idols have been installed across Prayagraj district, including nearly 300 in the city. Police station in-charges have been visiting pandals in their respective areas and coordinating with organisers and volunteers. Announcements are being made asking devotees to complete darshan and keep moving to prevent crowd build-up, while volunteers have been deployed at entry and exit points to regulate movement.“We cannot be dependent on last year’s preparations. The available space may be less this year, particularly at venues where Ravana is being burnt, so the arrangements have to be reviewed afresh,” Mordia said.Fire-safety provisions are also being checked. Pandal organisers have been asked to maintain adequate open space, ensure wide and clearly marked exits, provide emergency lighting, fire extinguishers and water, and keep access routes free of obstruction.Police are also spreading safety awareness through social media and maintaining close surveillance at major venues through CCTV cameras, additional personnel and drones at select locations.The next major challenge will be idol immersion, with 2,166 idols scheduled for immersion. Mordia said police would remain particularly vigilant during the immersion process to prevent crowding, traffic disruption and any untoward incident.The Sunday peace committee meeting was also used to brief members on the need for strict adherence to all safety measures. Police said coordination with organisers, volunteers and other stakeholders would continue throughout the remaining festivities rather than being limited to a one-time inspection, according to Mordia.
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