High security during Durga Puja in Kolkata

Security stepped up ahead of Puja
Express News Service, Posted: Oct 02, 2008 at 0318 hrs IST

Kolkata, October 1 In wake of the recent bomb blasts across the country and the stampede in Jodhpur, the state government has taken up a series of measures to ensure safety and security during Durga Puja.

A meeting was held at Lalbazar police headquarters on Tuesday which was attended by top brass of the state police and the Kolkata police, besides representatives of 25 puja committees of Kolkata and the suburbs.

While 50 beds will be earmarked for emergency in all the five medical college hospitals, the government has also given Rs 10 lakh to each of the hospitals for buying medicines.

“The Kolkata police officials are talking to private nursing homes to check if they can earmark some beds. All blood banks have been told to stock up blood and organisations that run ambulance services have been told to be alert,” Home Secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti, who presided over Tueday’s meeting, said on Wednesday.

The government has also issued a set of guidelines to the puja committees.

These include identifying exit points at puja pandals, announcement through microphones, setting up of watch towers, control rooms manned by representatives from the police, health department, fire service and Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation, and arrangement of adequate water and sand.

“The volunteers of the puja committees will be trained for a day by the police. We have also told the committees to prepare a rescue plan in case of an emergency,” the home secretary further said.

He added the Kolkata police are raising a 680-strong security force to provide security for the Metro Railway. “We requested the Centre to send CISF for the security of the Metro Railway. But they said they will require at least two years for doing that. So we are raising this force,” Chakrabarti said. source: http://www.expressindia.com