📰🚨 Kharagpur Gears Up for a Safe, Disciplined & Grand Durga Puja 2026 🚨🙏
A landmark coordination meeting was held today, 6 September 2026, at Netaji Auditorium, IIT Kharagpur, bringing together Puja committee representatives, senior police and administrative officials, traffic authorities, fire services, municipality representatives, RPF, electrical department, IIT Kharagpur, media representatives, decorators and other stakeholders to ensure that Durga Puja, Ganesh Puja and Vishwakarma Puja 2026 are celebrated with utmost safety, discipline, harmony and civic responsibility. The meeting was attended by Hon’ble Minister of the Government of West Bengal Shri Dilip Ghosh, along with the District Superintendent of Police, Additional SP, Traffic Police officials, Kharagpur SDO, Kharagpur Town Police Station IC Amit Kumar Mitra, representatives of Kharagpur Local Police Station, Fire Brigade, Municipality, RPF, Electrical Department and other concerned departments. Detailed discussions focused on traffic management, crowd control, law and order, fire safety, emergency response, electrical safety, sound pollution, cleanliness, proper immersion arrangements and the overall security of Puja pandals. The collective objective is clear: devotion and celebration must go hand in hand with responsibility and safety.
🛡️ Important Guidelines for a Safe Puja
All Puja committees have been instructed to strictly follow the safety guidelines issued by Paschim Medinipur District Police, including:
The name and mobile number of the Puja committee secretary must be mentioned in the permission letter, and applications must be submitted through the Online One-Window System.
The landowner’s permission letter must be attached with the application.
A sketch map of the Puja pandal with the crowd-circulation plan must be submitted.
Adequate space must be kept at the entry and exit points for Fire Brigade and Ambulance movement.
Sufficient space must be maintained inside the pandal to prevent overcrowding and suffocation.
Separate entry and exit gates should be arranged wherever possible.
Separate entry arrangements for male and female visitors should be made.
The exit pathway should be at least twice the width of the entrance pathway.
Fire extinguishers must be readily available near the pandal.
The pandal cloth should have fire-resistant treatment.
Committees must appoint sufficient volunteers with proper identity cards for crowd management.
The names of the Puja committee members and volunteers must be submitted.
Adequate lighting and parking space must be arranged for bicycles and motorcycles.
Sufficient space must be provided for Police Assistance Booths and Fire Service Booths.
A First Aid Booth must be available at the Puja premises.
Mineral water and separate washroom facilities for men and women must be available.
During idol-making, pollution must be avoided by using lead-free colours.
The previous year’s income and expenditure statement, along with the permission copy, must be submitted.
The required bond copy of the registered decorator and electrician must be submitted.
Government rules regarding sound limits and sound pollution, particularly the prohibition on loudspeakers after 10 PM, must be strictly followed.
A dustbin/USEME waste bin must be kept outside the pandal for proper waste disposal.
Forced collection of subscriptions is strictly prohibited. Names of persons collecting subscriptions must be submitted along with the permission letter.
Non-breakable electrical wires must be used in all Puja pandals.
CCTV cameras must be installed inside and around the pandal with at least 5 days of recording capacity, with one camera specifically focusing on the idol.
An additional CCTV camera should face the roadside/outside of the pandal, particularly for pandals connected with Kharagpur Town Police Station.
Firecrackers and sound crackers are strictly prohibited during idol immersion.
From the first day of immersion, each Puja committee must maintain 24-hour security, and daily volunteer details must be submitted to the Police Station from Mahalaya onwards.
The probable immersion dates are 21, 22, 23 and 24 October 2026, subject to final confirmation and communication by the authorities.
The immersion route, date, time and number of participants must be submitted to the Police Station.
Overhead gates are not permitted on roads outside Puja pandals.
The names and phone numbers of the electrician and sound-system provider must be submitted by every Puja committee.
Black generators are strictly prohibited.
DJ boxes are strictly prohibited during Puja and immersion to prevent sound pollution.
In case of emergency, the following numbers should be displayed prominently at the Puja pandals: Kharagpur Town PS – 9147888620 / 9147079385 / 03222225972 / 8101496329 / 112 / 100; OC Traffic, Kharagpur Town – 9147888649; Kharagpur Fire Brigade – 03222255709.
Every Puja pandal must prominently display the emergency contact numbers on a flex/banner.
Online application forms for permission for community Puja will be made available shortly.
Any ramp or similar temporary structure must have proper structural approval from the competent authority.
The significance of this year’s preparations goes far beyond a routine administrative exercise. The remarkable coordination between the administration, police, Puja committees, civic authorities, emergency services and the people of Kharagpur reflects a new standard of collective responsibility. From keeping roads and approach routes clear to ensuring proper lighting, security, cleanliness, emergency access and disciplined crowd movement, every department and every committee is being encouraged to contribute towards making the festive season safer and more organised than ever before.
✨ In the history of Kharagpur’s Puja celebrations, this year’s programme is emerging as a truly exceptional example of coordinated preparation and public cooperation. The unprecedented attention being given to roads, public movement, safety arrangements, emergency services and civic responsibility has created a sense of confidence among the people. If these preparations continue with the same dedication, Durga Puja 2026 can stand as a memorable milestone—a celebration where devotion, culture, administration and public responsibility come together as one.
🌸🙏 “Safe Puja, Secure Kharagpur, Strong Paschim Medinipur.”
Let the lights shine brighter, let the celebrations be grander, and let safety, discipline and harmony remain at the heart of every Puja.
