Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday convened a preparatory meeting to finalize arrangements for this year’s Durga Puja and immersion ceremonies, ensuring smooth celebrations across the city.
The meeting, chaired by Mayor Sulochana Das, was attended by Commissioner Chanchal Rana, Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahu, City Engineer Narad Chandra Rath, Chief Finance Officer Deepak Ranjan Behera, Cultural Standing Committee Chairman Ramchandra Ransingh, corporators, representatives of puja committees, and officials from various departments.
According to BMC, around 172 pandals will host Durga Puja in its jurisdiction this year. To make the celebrations vibrant and hassle-free, the civic body has undertaken road repairs, tree branch trimming, electrical maintenance, and covering of open drains. Pothole repairs are also being carried out on priority.
The Mayor and Commissioner urged puja committees to flag any remaining issues, assuring that all pending works would be resolved by September 25. Zonal Commissioners have been directed to personally inspect sites to ensure readiness.
Key Directives for Puja Committees:
- Ensure fire safety measures, including sandbags near pandals.
- Avoid use of single-use plastic and spread awareness against it.
- Do not install advertisement hoardings on main roads or intersections.
- Deploy sanitation workers at large pandals and segregate waste.
- Hand over puja flowers to designated vehicles for disposal.
- Arrange water sprinkling in dust-prone areas.
- Provide parking facilities and coordinate with police and volunteers for smooth traffic flow.
- All idols to be immersed in temporary ponds created for the purpose.
The Mayor also announced that the cleanest pandal would be awarded, encouraging committees to prioritize hygiene. After idol immersion, puja committees, BMC staff, and local residents have been requested to take part in a mass cleanliness drive around pandal areas.
On the sidelines, several puja committees sought road repairs, electrical maintenance, and tree trimming. The Commissioner directed officers to address these immediately. The overall coordination is being managed by Additional Commissioner Kailash Chandra Das.
