Durga Puja preparations in full swing in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack/Bhubaneswar, Sept. 11: Safety and security near Puja pandals will be strengthened and special police officers deployed to conduct Dussehra in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar starting from September 30.

As part of its ongoing move to involve the public as part of community policing, a senior police official said that around 600 special police officers would be appointed from various localities in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

These special police officers will be roped in to look after the security measures and regulate vehicular traffic near their respective Puja mandaps.

While a preparatory meeting in Cuttack was held yesterday in Cuttack, the meeting in Bhubaneswar was held today.

The Puja committees in the city have urged the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation to carry out repair of roads and defunct street lights at the earliest.

They also wanted the municipal corporation to clean the drains and sanitise the area surrounding the Puja pandals.

The police officials have asked the Puja committees in Cuttack, especially those who are going to put up silver and gold backdrops, to deploy private security guards with a view to averting any untoward incidents.

“There should be closed-circuit television cameras installed at the pandals to keep an eye on criminal elements,” said police commissioner R.P. Sharma. If needed, he said, the Odisha State Armed Police would be deployed to maintaining law and order during the festive season. This year, nearly 290 pandals would come up in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Volunteers selected by respective Puja committees will be asked to manage the crowd around the pandals.

A police official said a special drive had already been launched to book habitual offenders before the start of the Dussehra festival.

The Puja committees will not be allowed to use loudspeakers beyond the 65-decibel limit during the festival.