THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, Oct 7: Anti-chaos or better say smooth crowd management during Ravandahan was threadbare discussed today in the central peace committee meeting that DC Shashi Ranjan and SP Reeshma Ramesan along with a battery of civil and police officials held in the air-conditioned hall of Pdt Deendayal Upadhaya Smriti Bhavan.
It was resolved in principle to first have either immersion of the idols or to go for Ravandahan or the reverse of it. But the two should not coincide with each other as it will see a huge spillover to the crowd on both sides.
Palamu DC has promised T-shirts for volunteers for the Puja pandals. There came a feverish demand for it from the public.
Safety measures at Puja pandals and crowd management
The president of the Sri Kendriya Durga Puja Maha Samiti, Durga Johri, urged the administration to keep eyes on the Garba dance and other pomposity where sublimity is at stake in the Durga Puja celebration.
Johri asked for a heap of sand at the Puja pandals as a part of fire fighting measures.
City Commissioner Md Jawed Hussain assured water tankers but only where the Pandals have drums for storing water from the municipal corporation’s tanker.
From the audience came the demand for mobile toilets. DC Shashi Ranjan agreed to it but said “We will do it in a limited way but I must tell you there will be a fee of rupees 2 for having such a comfort. I don’t think this service should be all free.”
DC asked for repair/operationality of the CCTV cameras without fail. There must not be any compromise with it, he repeatedly asked.
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SP outlines security and medical plans
SP Reeshma Ramesan informed that there are 579 Puja pandals in the Palamu district where the number of unlicensed Puja pandals is over 400.
Regarding the demand for woman cops at each of the Puja pandals Reeshma Ramesan made it clear saying “Palamu constabulary has not many of women in uniform. We have by now 145 lady home guards. They will have a brisk training for it and then they will be deployed at the Puja pandals.”
DC Shashi Ranjan was very particular about the medical plan and when he learnt from the civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar that the medical plan was not ready to date, he asked for it in another 24 hours.
Here SP Reeshma Ramesan had a useful suggestion when she said, “I would request civil surgeon to tag ambulances to the respective police stations so that in the event of any medical urgency the ambulances sail through the roads without any fear of clogging of traffic as police will be clearing up the road of rush.”
DC Shashi Ranjan assured that licensed Puja pandals will be provided with workable medical kits.
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Election sensitivity and traffic issues
“This Puja celebration is very crucial. It’s election time. There must not be any mix of religion with politics. The administration will never brook it. Politics be not mingled to the religion,” he said.
DC Shashi Ranjan used the word ‘crucial’ for around half a dozen times. Alluding to unverified and untrue messages being flashed digitally the DC said, “A happening in Palestine or in Tamil Nadu is offered on the platter of the social media here which has no locus standi nor any relevance. It must be shunned.”
Regarding entry of heavy vehicles carrying construction materials in the town or parking of buses, trucks etc across the road when they can be parked in the enclosure DC Shashi Ranjan said, “Everyone should take note of it to ensure traffic does not snarl up.”
DC Shashi Ranjan directed additional collector Kundan Kumar to see that any complaint about sagging electricity wires across the district has to be set right before the procession is taken out.
DC wound up the central peace committee meeting by asking as to why his officers didn’t offer Samosas to the audience. Everyone knew DC said this to humour the audience only whom he lauded for positivity in attitude and approach to the cause of the society here in Palamu reminding, “It’s more than a year that I am here as DC and I find people here very sensitive and sensible to the cause of peace and harmony.”
SP Reeshma Ramesan too echoed the same feeling saying peace and harmony be given a big hand here like Palamu has seen it in the past.
