RAJSHAHI, Sept 23, 2022 (BSS) - Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) has
intensified intelligence surveillance ahead of the Durga Puja, largest
religious festival of the Hindu community, in the metropolis.
"We are determined to celebrate the religious festival amid enthusiasm and
communal harmony," said Abu Kalam Siddique, Commissioner of RMP, while
addressing a view sharing meeting with leaders of Puja Udjapan Committee at
police lines conference hall here yesterday as the chief guest.
Apart from the RMP officials, leaders and members of puja udjapon committees,
Hindu Kallyan Trust, public representatives and others concerned joined the
meeting.
RMP Police Commissioner Kalam Siddique said the five-day saradiya durgatshob
will be celebrated in 95 puja mandaps in the city from October 1 to 5 and
tight security measures will be taken centering all the mondaps.
Additional Commissioner Faruque Hossain, Deputy Commissioners Saifuddin
Shaheen and Anirban Chakma and Puja Udjapan Committee leaders Anil Kumar
Sharker, Shymal Kumar Ghosh and Sadhan Kunar Roy also spoke on the occasion.
Commissioner Kalam Siddique said there will be overall security measures and
intelligence vigilance has already been enhanced across the city.
He sought wholehearted cooperation from all quarters for successful and
peaceful celebrations of the forthcoming Durga Puja.
Kalam Siddque assured of extending all possible security support to the puja
celebration everywhere in the RMP areas.
He urged the puja committee leaders to set up closed circuit cameras in the
important puja mandaps alongside metal detectors in the main entrances. There
should be separate gates for male and females.
He also asked the officer-in-charge (OC) of the police stations to keep close
coordination with the puja committee round the clock giving instructions to
the traffic division to enhance traffic management.
"We have to put in our level best efforts to ensure communal harmony for all
faiths in each of the puja mandaps," he added.
Meanwhile, preparation for celebrating the Durga Puja is going on everywhere
in the metropolis at present. People of the community are passing their busy
days with the work of decorating and painting idols and puja mandaps ahead of
their festival.
Idol makers commonly known as Pauls are passing their busy days giving final
touch to works of idols of Hindu deities. With only a week left, the Pauls
are working round the clock to make sure that the idols are ready in time.
Decorations of temples, lighting, and setting up of mandaps are expected to
give the city a festive look within the next couple of days.