Taki has introduced a multi-layered security and emergency-response plan for the annual Durga idol immersion in the Ichhamati river, with police, civil defence teams, disaster management personnel, water police and border forces assigned to manage crowds, traffic and the international boundary.
The arrangements cover the riverfront, immersion ghats and adjoining roads in the India-Bangladesh border town. The Basirhat district police and local administration have increased surveillance and crowd-control measures after a recent fatal incident at Chorbagan in Kolkata, prompting a stricter approach to public safety during immersion festivities.
The Ichhamati immersion is a high-footfall event because boats carrying idols from India and Bangladesh traditionally converge on the river. Since the waterway runs along the international border, officials are coordinating with the Border Security Force and Bangladesh’s Border Guard Bangladesh to prevent boats or individuals from crossing into the other country’s designated area.
A rope boundary or floating barrier has been arranged along the river. Additional police personnel, including members of the state police’s special force, will be deployed at major immersion points such as Taki Rajbari Ghat and other ghats in Taki and the adjoining Hasnabad area. CCTV cameras and drones will monitor the crowds and surrounding roads, while police control rooms will track movement and respond to incidents including pickpocketing and unauthorised access.
Officials have also planned special traffic arrangements for Taki and Hasnabad. Selected roads may be temporarily restricted or diverted to regulate visitors’ vehicles and vehicles carrying idols near the immersion points. Civil Defence personnel, disaster management teams and a specialised water police unit with speedboats will remain on standby. Medical camps and ambulances will be positioned near the ghats for emergency assistance.
The scale of the event is reflected in the demand for accommodation, with hotels and guest houses reported to be full as visitors arrive from different places to watch the immersion. The Taki Basirhat Municipality Citizens’ Forum has asked the administration to provide enough dustbins and control loudspeaker volumes, adding an environmental and neighbourhood-management concern to the security plan.
The immersion of the Taki Rajbari idol will remain a major attraction. In keeping with the tradition of the royal family, the idol will be carried to the ghat on the shoulders of 24 bearers without a vehicle. The administration’s coordinated deployment of police, border forces and emergency services is intended to ensure that the event proceeds safely and without disruption.
