Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Guwahati police and fire officials have rolled out strict guidelines for this year's Durga Puja. Committees must get official permits before building anything. They need to secure approval from both the police and Fire and Emergency Services to host their events.
Noise control is now the law. Sound systems cannot top 55 decibels between 6 am and 10 pm. Loud music is banned after 10 pm. Committees must also ditch any item songs or vulgar music. Keeping the peace is the goal.
Security measures are equally heavy. Every pandal requires CCTV cameras for crowd control. Committees must provide a full list of volunteers to the police, and those volunteers must stay at the venue all night. Expect separate entry and exit points, plus divided queues for men and women. Every site needs a clear plan for emergency evacuations.
Fire safety and electrical work require experts. Each pandal must keep a trained electrician on-site. Fire prevention gear is mandatory. Every single location must display signs stating it is a "No Tobacco" and "No Alcohol" zone.
Construction cannot block public roads. If a committee wants a procession, they need a permit first. During the final immersion, only five people per mandap can tag along. Officials also moved the immersion site for the Narengi-Noonmati Puja Committee, banning the use of Choonsali Ghat in Noonmati. They must use Kachari Ghat instead.
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