Siliguri, Sept. 25: The West Bengal State Electric Board (WBSEB) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) are making elaborate arrangements in here to ensure uninterrupted power supply and telephone service during Durga Puja .

The two government departments have decided to open 24-hour helplines and form maintenance teams for early intervention in case of any disruption in the two vital services during the four days of festivity, said officials here today.

“We have carried out maintenance work in Siliguri and in other district and subdivisional towns to prevent any problem in electric supply,” said Avijit Moitra, the public relations officer of WBSEB, Siliguri zone, which comprises five north Bengal districts excluding Malda. “In addition, 33 teams have been formed to man each supply office in the zone especially for the puja days.”

The officer further informed that 14 of the teams, equipped with necessary tools, would be posted in supply offices located in Siliguri and its suburbs, and they would be entrusted with the sole job of tackling emergencies.

“We have also formed five inspection teams in the zone, which will visit the pandals to check out electrical arrangements and also be on the lookout for any incidents of hooking (illegal drawing of power) in the different localities,” Moitra said.

Two 24-hour helplines, one at the office of the Siliguri subdivisional officer and the other at the divisional office of the WBSEB here, would be in operation during the Pujas to work as information centres, he added.

The telecom authorities here maintained that for them, maintenance is a day-to-day affair.

“There is nothing new that the BSNL will come up with for the Pujas,” said A. Dakua, the deputy general manager of BSNL, Siliguri. “However, we are planning to form some more teams for maintenance to ensure that there is no problems in connectivity.”