The district administration has directed puja organisers to ensure sufficient closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in and around the pandals thronged by a large number of devotees.

A total of 34 licenced pandals are being set up in the town. Muzaffarpur district magistrate Dharmendra Kumar said CCTV surveillance will be of great help in ensuring law and order near the pandals and keep a watch on people who create disturbances.

Steps are also being taken for the safety of the pandals and engineers from the building construction department are visiting the sites to check whether the organisers are making arrangements following the safety norms or not.

Executive engineer of the department Amrit Ram said he had inspected some of the pandals and had directed the organisers to install exhausts and make separate entrance and exit points to minimise chances of bottlenecks at the puja venues.

The police are on a recce of the pandals to check whether fire extinguishers and sandbags are there or not at every venue. Deputy superintendent of police Ashish Anand said: "The organisers have been asked to keep hand fire extinguishers and at least 10 sandbags."

The police will also deploy cops in mufti inside the pandals and other crowded places to keep an eye on eve-teasers.

Steps are also being taken to regulate traffic near the pandals and the cops have identified 20 points where one-way traffic will be introduced from October 5 so that revellers don't come in the way of vehicular movement. Steps are also being taken to ensure puja organisers obtain valid electricity connection for the event.

Ashish Razdan, the general manager of Essel Vidyut Vitran Limited, which looks after power distribution in the town, said: "All organisers have applied for a valid connection and we are providing them connection only after assessing the load factor."

As part of its effort to maintain law and order in the town during the festivities, district magistrate Dharmendra Kumar said 370 officials, including magistrates, have been deployed on the field.

"The town has been divided into different zones, which are constantly monitored by these officials. Patrolling has been intensified," he said.