Puja plan for local clubs

TT, Siliguri, Aug 24: The administration has asked over 400 clubs within the jurisdiction of Siliguri metropolitan police, which would be organising Durga Puja, to use their premises to impart awareness of encephalitis during the festival.

“This year, around 468 clubs will organise Durga Puja in and around Siliguri. A preparatory meeting was held yesterday in the presence of officials of police, state fire services and civic authorities. At the meeting, representatives of all these clubs have been asked to carry out a campaign on encephalitis prevention in and around their puja pandals,” said P.T. Sherpa the additional district magistrate of Siliguri.

According to administrative sources, the clubs have been asked to collect forms from concerned police stations from August 26 to 30.

“They will have to submit the forms from September 1 to 6 at the police stations with relevant documents to obtain permission for Durga Puja. No new club or organisation would be permitted to hold Durga Puja this year,” a senior official said.

“These clubs have been asked to install CCTV cameras in and around their pandals. Also, we will install some CCTV cameras at strategic locations during the festive days to ensure proper security,” a police official said.

“Additional forces would be brought in and deployed in Siliguri,” he added.

Officials of the state fire services department, who were present at the meeting, told the club representatives to build pandals with a maximum height of 40ft.