Ranchi authorities have ordered stricter safety arrangements at Kali Puja pandals, including secure electrical wiring, fire-safety equipment, emergency exits and crowd-control volunteers, as police intensify patrols and anti-crime checks ahead of Diwali.
Deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri inspected several Kali Puja pandals on Thursday and directed organisers to follow safety norms while constructing and operating the temporary structures. The instructions include using safe electrical wiring and temporary power connections without exposed or unsafe wires.
Puja committees have also been told to keep adequate fire-safety arrangements, including fire extinguishers and proper emergency exits. They were asked to deploy enough volunteers to manage visitor movement and monitor activities around the pandals, according to the deputy commissioner.
The directions place responsibility on organisers for managing risks created by temporary installations and large visitor gatherings. At the Cosmos Club Kali Puja Committee on Circular Road, committee member Debashis Roy said the organisers had assured the deputy commissioner that all safety norms would be followed. The committee has made separate entry and exit arrangements to ensure smoother movement of visitors, Roy said.
Police have simultaneously intensified anti-crime checks and patrols against gambling and public nuisance ahead of Diwali. Ranchi superintendent of police Paras Rana said police teams were monitoring gambling activities and would act against those running illegal operations. Officers are also monitoring people creating public nuisance, including those consuming liquor, during anti-crime checks intended to maintain law and order.
Rana appealed to residents to share information about gambling rackets. He said that no information about active gambling operations had been received so far, while adding that police would maintain a strict watch over such activities and nuisance creators.
Police will remain on alert from Dhanteras through Diwali, with intensified night and motorcycle patrols in sensitive areas, markets and crowded stretches. The patrols are intended to prevent theft, snatching and other crimes during the festival period.
The policing plan also responds to concerns about public drinking and gambling near busy roads. Ranchi resident and senior citizen Prajapati Mishra said gambling and liquor consumption on city roads were common during Diwali, with areas near liquor shops sometimes becoming open drinking spaces. He called for a tighter crackdown to deter such activity and ensure safer celebrations.
The immediate safety measures cover both the temporary public infrastructure at Kali Puja pandals and the surrounding streets, where visitor movement, markets, night-time activity and festival crowds will require coordination between organisers and police. Authorities have not announced any reported gambling racket so far, but patrols and monitoring will continue through Diwali.
