West Bengal Issues New Safety Guidelines for Upcoming Kali and Jagadhatri Puja Festivals
In response to a recent tragedy, West Bengal has introduced safety measures for the Kali and Jagadhatri Puja festivals focusing on crowd control and fire safety.
Kolkata, November 1 (Daily Kiran) : In light of the tragic stampede at the community Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata’s Chorbagan, the West Bengal administration has released new safety guidelines for the upcoming Kali and Jagadhatri Puja festivals.
The state government’s standard operating procedures emphasize three key areas: fire safety, crowd management, and adequate lighting within the pandal premises. An official noted that the dim lighting at the Chorbagan pandal hindered effective crowd control, prompting clear directives for community organizers to ensure sufficient illumination.
Additionally, organizers have been instructed to provide adequate lighting not only inside the pandals but also at the entrance and exit points. To facilitate the flow of devotees, the guidelines specify that these entry and exit doors should be sufficiently wide.
Crowd control has been given special attention in the new procedures, with organizers required to deploy enough volunteers based on the expected number of attendees. To prevent overcrowding, officials stated that new arrivals should only be allowed inside the pandal once those already inside have exited, thus maintaining order.
Furthermore, ambulances must be arranged at major worship sites, and basic medical facilities should be available at each pandal.
The guidelines also address fire safety, instructing organizers to keep fire extinguishers on hand. In case of a fire, the state firefighting department is mandated to ensure that firefighting vehicles arrive at the site within 15 minutes of being notified.
