Bidhannagar Police have asked Durga Puja committees in Salt Lake, Lake Town, New Town and the Airport area to keep roads and pedestrian access clear for senior citizens living near pandals during Durga Puja 2026. The direction is part of a wider set of preparations covering traffic, crowds, fire safety, electricity supply and essential civic arrangements.
Police said elderly residents often face particular difficulty during the festival because of long diversions, barricades and obstructions around pandals. The force has therefore asked organisers to prioritise smooth transit and access near residential areas, where temporary structures and crowd-control arrangements can alter regular movement.
The instructions were discussed at coordination meetings organised by the Eco Park, Technocity and Bidhannagar South police stations with Durga Puja committees and other agencies. Senior officers present included Jyotirmoy Roy, deputy commissioner of police for New Town; Laltu Halder, additional deputy commissioner of police, Bidhannagar; Utsha Sreemani, assistant commissioner of police, New Town; and Subhankar Biswas, assistant commissioner of police for the North Zone, Bidhannagar.
Representatives from the traffic wing, HIDCO, the New Town Kolkata Development Authority, West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, fire and emergency services and the puja committees also attended the meetings. According to a police post, the discussions covered public safety, traffic and crowd management, fire safety, electricity supply, puja guidelines and other civic arrangements.
Noise control is another focus of the preparations. Police said previous years had seen multiple complaints about high-decibel DJ systems, particularly in the Lake Town area, where amplified sound affected local neighbourhoods. The force said it would enforce the prohibition on DJ systems during the festival, alongside its regular crowd-management and safety responsibilities.
The arrangements cover several urban functions that have to operate together during the festival: traffic diversions, access to homes, crowd movement, emergency response, power supply and the safety of temporary structures. For residents living close to popular pandals, these systems determine whether routine access to their streets and homes remains possible during the busiest days of the celebration.
Bidhannagar Police said the collective objective of the coordination process was to ensure a safe, peaceful, smooth and hassle-free Durga Puja across the area. Further implementation will depend on coordination between the police, civic and infrastructure agencies, emergency services and individual puja committees as preparations continue.
