From drones to toilets, Asansol & Durgapur geared up for Chhat Puja
The Statesman | 27 October 2025The DCP told The Statesman that he had inspected the ghats and the routes leading to them both in the Durgapur sub-division as well as Asansol Sadar sub-division, alongwith other senior officials. Additional forces will be deployed to ensure
safety and smooth traffic movement during the festivals.
“We have installed CCTV cameras at all the ghats, deployed fire tenders, disaster management forces, ambulances and
adequate numbers of men and women police, alongwith plainclothes personnel. Besides, we have set up watchtowers, and drone cameras will also be used in places where the crowds are dense,” DCP Pasumarthi added. He has urged the devotees to strictly follow traffic rules and guidelines.
The traffic department has already set up barricades on important roads, junctions and national highways for streamlining traffic movement and preventing vehicles from speeding.during the festival.
The civic authorities, meanwhile, have repaired the roads leading to the Chhath ghats. Shamianas have also been set up by the Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Durgapur Municipal Corporation (DMC). Large areas for vehicle parking have been demarcated, and additional forces and civic volunteers have been posted to enable smooth operations.
“I have inspected the Chhath Ghats in Asansol and Durgapur and ensured that all the water bodies are cleaned before the ceremonies begin. There will be adequate police, disaster management and firebrigade personnel at each site. CCTV and drone cameras with connections to the police control rooms have also been set up,” said S. Ponnambalam, West Burdwan District Magistrate.
In a separate inspection, he and Dr. Sourav Chatterjee, SDM of Durgapur Sub-division, visited the Mohan Kumar Mangalam Park in Durgapur steel township. There are over 300 water bodies in the district and about 800 Chhath ghats have been created. The large waterbody at the Kumar Mangalam Park is expected to cater to at least 10,000 devotees during the festival, civil administration sources said.
Temporary bio-toilets have been erected near the Chhath Ghats in Asansol and Durgapur by the district administration, and seating arrangements for elderly people and differently abled persons have been arranged for at the ghats.
The Commissioner of Police, ADPC, Sunil Choudhary, and Director of the National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, Professor
Arvind Choubey, and senior officials of the Durgapur Steel Plant as well as Indian Iron & Steel Plant have wished the devotees on the eve of the upcoming Chhath Festival and urged them to maintain peace and follow guidelines.
