Kolkata’s Ganga ghats have been placed under heightened security and surveillance ahead of Dashami idol immersion, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari inspecting Babughat, Baje Kadamtala Ghat and Judges Ghat on Wednesday morning, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin. The inspection focused on crowd management, emergency response and measures to limit pollution during the city’s immersion operations.
The chief minister met Kolkata Police officers and civic officials at Babughat before immersions were scheduled to begin from the afternoon. Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nanda, Kolkata Municipal Corporation administrator Smita Pandey and other officials were present during the inspection, the report said.
Authorities have increased monitoring because large crowds are expected at Kolkata’s riverfront ghats during the immersion process. The security arrangements come days after a stampede and suffocation incident at Chorbagan on Saptami reportedly claimed 19 lives. The report said the administration is therefore maintaining particular vigilance to prevent any untoward incident during the movement of people and idols at the ghats.
Speaking during the inspection, Adhikari said the administration would balance safety requirements with established traditions and customs. He said disaster-management teams were alert and that special surveillance had been arranged to prevent incidents. He also said the municipal administration was paying special attention to pollution control and that security arrangements had been strengthened.
The arrangements include the deployment of the National Disaster Response Force, according to the report. Surveillance will also be carried out using drones over areas near the Ganga ghats. Four Ganga ghats in Kolkata have been placed under tight security and monitoring for the immersion period.
The civic administration is also preparing for post-immersion cleaning. Adhikari said the ghats would be cleaned after the immersion operations were completed. The administration has separately announced measures aimed at limiting pollution in and around the river, although the report did not provide details of the specific equipment, staffing or monitoring indicators being used.
The chief minister also said that only members of the Sanatan community would handle the idol frameworks during the immersion process. Disc jockey music has been prohibited at the ghats during immersion, the report said. The restriction forms part of the crowd and noise-control measures being enforced at the riverfront locations.
Dashami immersion places simultaneous pressure on police, civic workers, disaster-response teams and riverfront facilities. The immediate operational challenge is to manage the movement of large crowds and vehicles while ensuring that emergency teams can access the ghats and that post-immersion cleaning begins without delay. The inspection and deployment arrangements are intended to address those requirements during Wednesday’s immersion operations.
