Navratri celebrations will reach their peak on Monday as curtains will be lifted in most of the pandals though some will open their doors on Tuesday. The city is wearing a colourful look with varied and innovative themes and decorations at pandals. Piyush Kumar Tripathi presents a guide for Puja revellers

Pandal themes

Beautifully decorated and ornamented pandals have been erected at New Dakbungalow Road, Bailey Road, Ashok Rajpath, Kurji, Boring Road, Boring Canal Road, Shastri Nagar, Rukkanpura, Hanuman Nagar, Dariapur Gola, Kadamkuan, SK Puri, and others. District magistrate Pratima S. Verma said: “We have taken steps to ensure security at the pandals, including closed-circuit television cameras, 10 volunteers at each pandal and a 24x7 control room. There are 1,097 pandals in the city.”

Traffic control

Commuters will have to follow a regulated traffic system in the city from Monday till Friday. The new system will be in effect from 5pm to 5am.

No-vehicle zones: From Dakbungalow Crossing to Kotwali Mor, Sabjibag, Govind Mitra Road, Khajanchi Road, Dariyapur Gola Road, Thakurbadi Road. From Bakarganj to Saidpur on Bari Path.

One-way roads: From Sheikhpura Mor to Ashiana Mor (traffic will flow from west to east), Bhattacharya Mor to Dakbungalow crossing (traffic flow from east to west), From NIT Mor to Gai Ghat (traffic flow from west to east), Gai Ghat to Chowk Stand.

Parking: From LIC building till Bata store on Fraser Road, in front of the Planetarium and western flank of the road in front of Mauryalok, in front of Sinha Library, in front of Buddha Smriti Park, Akashvani Mor till JP Roundabout on Fraser Road.

EC norms

The Election Commission (EC) has also issued guidelines for holding/celebrating various programmes and functions during festivals making it clear that Durga Puja celebrations should not be used for political purposes.

Fire safety rules

Most of the pandals are not fireproof, as they have not obtained the mandatory no-objection certificate (NoC) from the state fire office. Sources claimed that the fire office is equally responsible for this, as it is reluctant to issue the NoCs in order to avoid responsibility and extra work.

“However, in Patna or elsewhere in the state, we do not follow any norm to issue any clearance to the Durga Puja pandals, as very few Puja samitis would be able to fulfil the rules,” said Clement Florien, Bihar state fire officer.

Noise check

The Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) will be keeping a tab on noise generated from loudspeakers at pandals across the city during Ashtami and Navami.

“The report on noise-level monitoring in Patna during Durga Puja would be forwarded to the district administration and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). We would seek action from the district administration against the violators of the noise pollution norms,” said Awadhesh Kumar Ojha, member secretary, BSPCB.

Sources quote 120dB as the sound pain threshold.

Last year, Shri Vaishno Mata Puja Mandal at Shri Sitala Mata Mandir in Patna City was found the loudest at 105.7dB.