Cuttack, Oct. 19: Two special counter terrorist squads and a couple of contingents of special operation groups with 60 jawans each have been deployed for a peaceful Durga Puja.
A three-tier security arrangement has been made for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Arrangements have also been made for night patrolling.
Around 60 platoons of police, comprising 300 officers, would maintain law and order, traffic management and crowd control in Cuttack. Three quick reaction teams have also been deployed at strategic locations. A striking force will also be on the standby at all police stations in Cuttack. A flag march was conducted in Cuttack today to instill confidence among local residents about the elaborate arrangements for the four-day fest.
"Though there is no specific terror threat, we have geared up our intelligence apparatus to keep a tab on suspicious movements of people near crowded places in the twin cities," said police commissioner R.P. Sharma.
Arrangements have been made for various puja committees that have been divided into three categories based on expected crowd turnout, nature of idols and their backdrops (gold or silver) and location.
Police have launched a compact disc (CD) on the various do's and don'ts for the safety of devotees. The CD contains awareness messages for the public such as how to remain safe while pandal hopping, traffic rules, how to protect valuables from pickpockets and other suspected goons. A leaflet with important phone numbers and the routes to avoid after the introduction of the one-way traffic system will also be distributed.
The audio CD will be played near the pandals, while three vehicles with public address systems will also move in different parts of the city from 4pm to 11pm daily.
Durga Puja is being observed in 158 puja pandals in the city. Extra focus will be on duty on the Ring Road to check incidents of chain snatching.
"We will deploy four extra platoons to intensify night patrol and curb incidents of thefts and burglaries at the satellite township of Markatnagar," said Sanjeev Arora, the deputy commissioner of police.
