Shyam Das, Asansol: A shadow of deep anxiety has fallen amidst the joy of the festival. 19 visitors lost their lives in a tragic accident at Kolkata's traditional Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal on the evening of Maha Saptami. Following this terrible disaster, a massive stir has been created across the state regarding security measures at Puja pandals. Taking a cue from that tragic incident, local police and administration have taken unprecedented and strict steps to bolster security measures at Puja pandals in the industrial city of Asansol. A high alert has been issued across the entire city to prevent any untoward incident or repetition of security lapses during the remaining days of the festival.
From Sunday morning, high-ranking administrative officials and police officers began inspecting every big-budget and heavily crowded Puja pandal in Asansol city. Asansol Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO Sadar) Sadhan Debnath and senior officials of the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate personally visited several major Puja pandals, including the famous Rabindra Nagar Unnayan Samiti on Burnpur Road, to review the security arrangements. Asansol North MLA Krishnendu Mukherjee was also present with them during the inspection.
During the inspection, officials meticulously checked whether the entry and exit points of the pandals were sufficiently wide and if there were designated 'Emergency Exits' for evacuating visitors quickly in any emergency situation. Furthermore, strict instructions were issued to Puja organizers regarding the deployment of adequate trained volunteers for crowd control, uninterrupted lighting, electrical safety to prevent short circuits, CCTV surveillance, and the proper functioning of fire-fighting equipment. Emphasis was also laid on setting up sufficient police pickets and medical helpdesks on the pandal premises to avoid any untoward incidents.
MLA Krishnendu Mukherjee expressed deep concern and grief over the loss of 19 lives in the tragic accident at Kolkata's Chorbagan. He said, "Such a tragic fate for people during festival days is extremely heartbreaking. Such an incident is completely unacceptable during a time of festive joy. Perhaps not all accidents can be completely stopped in advance, but the risk of danger can be significantly reduced by taking appropriate precautions, proper planning, and policy-level safety measures."
He added, "Following the tragic incident in Kolkata, top priority is being given to the security of every Puja pandal in Asansol. Meetings and inspections are taking place in phases at the administrative level since Sunday morning. It is being ensured that there are adequate volunteers present at the pandals and preparations to handle emergency situations are in place. What happened is deeply tragic, but we will not allow a repetition of any such incident in Asansol. The administration is fully prepared and alert."
After the Kolkata incident, shortcomings in security and crowd control at Puja pandals have raised major questions across the state. In this situation, the administration is fully committed to ensuring that visitors in Asansol can view the idols with complete peace of mind, safely, and joyfully. Asansol Sub-Divisional Officer (Sadar) Sadhan Debnath stated, "We have inspected every major pandal in the city and reviewed the overall arrangements. Wherever even the slightest defect or flaw was noticed, strict instructions and warnings were immediately issued to the Puja committee to rectify it. There will be no compromise regarding the safety of visitors."
