Suryaa National Desk: Surya Breaking & National Desk, Kolkata: As the death toll rises to 19 in a stampede at the Chorbagon Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata, West... Surya Breaking & National Desk, Kolkata: The death toll in the stampede at the Chorbagon Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata has risen to 19, with the West Bengal Police and civil administration on high alert. As a precautionary measure to avoid further accidents and stampedes, the authorities have issued orders to temporarily stop the entry of common people and devotees into many large and famous Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata city as well as in the satellite city of Salt Lake (Bidhannagar).
Closure of popular pandals – measures to control crowd: Organizers of popular pooja mandapalas in Salt Lake region, including Santhosh Mitra Square and Tala Pratyai, where crowds flock to, have suspended entry of visitors: The top police officials have ordered the organizers to immediately stop the darshans wherever there are signs of the crowd getting out of control. The gates of the huge theme pandals in the Salt Lake satellite town have also been closed and police security has been set up to prevent anyone from entering. With around 3,500 Durga Pujas being held in the city, top officials of the state government and the Kolkata Police Commissionerate will hold a high-level emergency review meeting to review the situation.
Strict orders on safety guidelines: Officials have directed all puja committees to set up waterproof corridors, additional emergency exit gates and strong barricades to prevent crowds from gathering for shelter during rainy season. It was clarified that the number of volunteers should be increased at the pandals and continuous public announcement systems should be monitored. Officials disclosed that these temporary restrictions will be relaxed depending on the situation after review.
