Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) has taken special security measures ahead of the Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community, in the metropolis.
"We are determined to celebrate the religious festival amid enthusiasm and communal harmony," said Biplob Bijoy Talukder, Commissioner of RMP, while addressing a view-exchange meeting with leaders of Puja Udjapan Committee and others concerned at RMP headquarters conference hall in Rajshahi on Wednesday as the chief guest.
Apart from the RMP officials, leaders and members of Puja Udjapon Committees, Hindu Kallyan Trust, public representatives and other law enforcing agencies concerned joined the meeting.
RMP Police Commissioner Biplob Bijoy Talukder said the five-day Saradiya festival will be celebrated in 101 puja mandaps in the city from October 20 to 24 and tight security measures will be taken centering all the mandaps.
Additional Commissioner Bijoy Basak, Rajshahi District Awami League president Anil Kumar Sarker, Trustee of Rajshahi Hindu Kalyan Trust Tapan Kumar Sen, President of Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad Rajkumar Sarker and its secretary Shyamal Kumar Ghosh and President of Puja Udjapan Parishad Advocate Sarat Chandra Sarker also spoke on the occasion.
Commissioner Biplob Bijoy Talukder 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.
Biplob Talukder assured of extending all possible security support to the puja celebration everywhere in the RMP areas.He urged the Puja Udjapan 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 Udjapan 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.
