Gaya district authorities have deployed 739 officers across 664 locations for Durga Puja-related crowd management, with watchtowers, CCTV cameras, drones, barricades and divers planned at sensitive points across the district.
Gaya District Magistrate Shashank Shubhankar and Senior Superintendent of Police Sushil Kumar inspected Durga Puja pandals, Ravan Dahan venues and idol immersion sites on Sunday to review security and public-safety arrangements. They visited Rukmini Sarovar, Sita Kund and Rasalpur in the Muffasil police station area.
The inspection covered fire-safety provisions, CCTV surveillance, entry and exit routes, approach roads, lighting and other facilities at the venues. The district magistrate directed officials to ensure safe electrical wiring, adequate fire-safety equipment, clear signage and separate entry and exit points at pandals.
At Ravan Dahan venues, officials were instructed to install strong barricades, provide sufficient lighting and use public-address systems to regulate crowds. At designated immersion sites, divers will be deployed, while generators and halogen lights will be arranged to maintain illumination after dark.
More than 30 magistrates, police officers and other personnel have also been assigned to immersion procession routes and the sites where idols will be immersed. The administration has planned watchtowers at 27 locations, high-resolution CCTV cameras at 25 locations and videographers at 24 crowded places in the Sadar subdivision. Drone cameras will monitor sensitive areas, while barricading and CCTV surveillance will be used to manage movement.
Police officials have been directed to maintain a strict watch against disturbances and rumours. The use of DJ systems has been prohibited as part of the arrangements, and divers will remain available at water bodies during idol immersion to reduce the risk of accidents.
The district magistrate and SSP earlier briefed magistrates and police officers at the police lines, asking them to report on time and maintain close coordination during the festival operations.
The security review coincided with a public event at Gandhi Maidan, where Nagaland Governor Nand Kishore Yadav inaugurated a Kanya Pujan Mahotsav organised by a social organisation on Maha Ashtami. The event, held for the ninth year, is scheduled to include the worship of 2,100 girls. Bihar Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar also attended the inaugural session. Last year, 1,100 girls participated in the programme.
