Hazaribag authorities have tightened Durga Puja arrangements with new safety, crowd-management and public-space restrictions, while a joint health department and police team fined tobacco-control violators during an enforcement drive in Chatra district on Saturday.
The enforcement operation was conducted in Hunterganj block on the instructions of Chatra deputy commissioner Ravi Anand and was led by Hunterganj police sub-inspector Veer Bahadur Singh. Officials inspected shops and public places along the stretch between Kauleshwari More and Chatra bus stand to check compliance with the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, or COTPA.
The team imposed fines totalling Rs 1,000 for violations of COTPA provisions. Shopkeepers were warned against illegal sale, advertising and promotion of tobacco products, while residents and traders were asked to cooperate with efforts to maintain smoke-free public places during the festival.
The tobacco-control action specifically covers smoking in public places and puja pandals. The administration said stricter action would follow if people or businesses violated the rules during Durga Puja. The enforcement drive places festival venues within the scope of routine public-health regulation, rather than treating them only as temporary religious gathering spaces.
In Hazaribag sadar subdivision, puja committees have been directed to install CCTV cameras or arrange videography of pandals. They must also ensure fire-safety measures and provide separate entry and exit gates for men and women. The requirements place responsibility on local organising committees to document activity at venues and manage movement through designated access points.
Sadar sub-divisional magistrate Aditya Pandey imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita until October 22. Puja committees must obtain licences, submit details of volunteers and secure no-objection certificates before operating their pandals.
The administration has also prohibited loudspeaker use between 10 pm and 6 am, unauthorised processions and the carrying of weapons. It warned against circulating provocative content on social media, linking festival operations to broader law-and-order concerns. These directions give district and subdivision-level authorities a framework to regulate sound, movement, venue permissions and online activity during the festival period.
For residents and visitors, the measures mean that access to pandals will be shaped by designated gates, venue-level surveillance and licensing requirements. The restrictions will remain in force until October 22, with puja committees expected to comply with the safety, documentation and public-order directions during the celebrations.
