Ranchi Municipal Corporation has divided the city into nine zones covering 176 Durga Puja pandals across 53 wards, with sanitation, street lighting, drain safety and immersion-site management planned throughout the festival. The civic body has assigned officers and field staff to each zone to inspect arrangements, coordinate with puja committees and monitor implementation on the ground.
Additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Kumar said the corporation’s priorities were convenience, cleanliness, adequate lighting, smooth traffic movement and a safe environment for devotees. Durga Puja is celebrated across Ranchi at multiple pandals and attracts large numbers of visitors, making coordination between municipal teams, ward representatives and puja committees central to the city’s preparations.
Sanitation operations will run in three shifts during the festival. The corporation’s night-cleaning squads have been instructed to intensify work around the pandals, including sweeping, garbage collection, drain cleaning, weed removal and spraying of bleaching powder. The deployment is intended to maintain cleanliness during periods when crowds and festival activity increase the volume of waste in public areas.
The engineering wing will cover open drains with concrete slabs and stone dust wherever required. The measure is aimed at reducing the risk of accidents near pandals and along routes used by devotees. The civic body has also directed field teams to conduct regular inspections so that gaps in essential services can be identified and addressed during the festival rather than after complaints accumulate.
RMC has separately prepared arrangements for idol immersion. Designated water bodies are being cleaned and immersion pits are being constructed in specified ponds. Puja committees have been asked to use only the earmarked immersion sites, a direction intended to maintain cleanliness and protect other water bodies from unregulated immersion-related activity.
Street lighting is another focus of the plan. Teams are inspecting lights across the city and repairing faulty units on priority to eliminate dark spots and maintain uninterrupted illumination. Additional lighting is being installed in high-footfall areas, including Bada Talab, Upper Bazar and Main Road, in coordination with ward councillors and puja committees.
The nine-zone structure gives RMC a field-level mechanism for distributing responsibility across the city’s 53 wards. Its effectiveness will depend on the regular presence of designated officers, timely repairs and coordination with festival organisers at individual pandals. The corporation’s stated plan is to maintain these civic services throughout the festival, with cleaning, lighting and immersion-site operations continuing under the assigned teams.
