The Dhubri district administration has declared a holiday on Monday for Diwali and ordered expanded safety, security and crowd-management measures for Kali Puja and Chhath Puja celebrations across the town. The arrangements were reviewed at a meeting chaired by district commissioner Dibakar Nath, with police, health, public works, power, inland water transport, fire services and the Dhubri municipal board taking part.
Nine Chhath Puja ghats have been identified in Dhubri town for the celebrations: Mela Maidan, Zila Parishad, Kachari, Jogomaya, BSF, Panchu, Free India, New and Out Signal. A joint team comprising officials and representatives of the Chhath Puja committees will inspect the locations on November 10 or 11.
The inspection will assess requirements for repairs, lighting, sanitation, traffic management and other facilities before devotees gather at the ghats. Senior Chhath Puja committee member Dev Kumar also sought adequate lighting, sanitation, changing rooms for women, drinking water, medical facilities and barricading at all nine locations.
Boat movement on the waterways will be regulated from noon on November 14 until 10 am on November 16. The administration has also decided to restrict e-rickshaw movement in Dhubri town from 8 am to 3 pm on November 15 to facilitate the movement of devotees during the celebrations.
Police will strengthen security at puja venues and ghats. Medical teams, ambulances, mobile medical units, rescue boats and State Disaster Response Force personnel will be deployed at vulnerable locations, while fire tenders will remain on standby at major congregation points. The measures place emergency response alongside crowd and traffic management in areas where large gatherings are expected.
Puja committees have been asked to install closed-circuit television cameras, deploy trained volunteers carrying identity cards and maintain firefighting arrangements at their venues. A round-the-clock control room will operate from Dak Bungalow during the festival period to coordinate responses and receive information from the affected locations.
Simul Sarkar, vice-president of the puja coordination committee, welcomed the arrangements and urged organisers and devotees to follow the administration’s guidelines. District commissioner Dibakar Nath appealed to all stakeholders to cooperate with the authorities to ensure peaceful, safe and harmonious celebrations. The ghat inspections and festival-period control room are the next scheduled administrative steps.
