Bhubaneswar, Sept 11: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has stepped up preparations for Ganesh Puja in the city, with 420 puja mandaps expected to host celebrations this year.
A preparatory meeting was held at Ekamra Hall of the BMC headquarters under the chairmanship of Mayor Sulochana Das. Municipal Commissioner Chanchal Rana and senior officials from various departments attended the meeting.
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The Mayor directed the police and traffic authorities to make adequate arrangements for maintaining law and order and regulating traffic, particularly around crowded puja mandaps.
Focus on Electrical Safety
With Ganesh Puja marking the beginning of the festive season, officials were directed to ensure that all electrical infrastructure is inspected before the celebrations.
TPCODL has been asked to inspect electric poles across the city and immediately replace poles found to be in a dangerous condition. Faulty streetlights are also to be repaired, while hanging electrical wires must be fixed by deploying special teams before the festival.
Special attention has been directed towards the roads that will be used for Ganesh idol processions and immersion.
The BMC's electrical subdivision has also been instructed to repair and improve lighting arrangements in areas under its jurisdiction.
Roads to Be Repaired Before Puja
The meeting also reviewed ongoing road-cutting and utility work across the city. WATCO has been carrying out work at several locations by removing paver blocks, and officials have been directed to avoid taking up fresh road-cutting works during the festival period.
Roads already dug up for utility or other works must be restored immediately. WATCO and the Works Department have been instructed to repair potholes without delay.
Zonal Commissioners of the three BMC zones have been directed to inspect roads in their respective areas and submit reports. Joint Deputy Commissioners (JDCs) have also been asked to issue notices to the concerned agencies to complete pending road works at the earliest.
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Four Temporary Immersion Ponds
To facilitate safe immersion of Ganesh idols, four temporary ponds will be excavated at designated locations.
One pond each will be created on the eastern and western sides of the Kuakhai River, while one will be constructed near Tankapani and another along the Daya riverbed.
Approach roads and adequate lighting will be provided near the temporary immersion ponds.
Special teams comprising police, traffic personnel, TPCODL and BMC officials will remain deployed at the sites with necessary equipment, including JCB machines, to manage the immersion process.
The meeting also discussed the possibility of constructing permanent roads leading to the temporary immersion pond locations in the future.
Focus on Cleanliness
The BMC's sanitation subdivision and concerned JDCs will take necessary measures to maintain cleanliness in and around the puja mandaps.
Three dedicated vehicles-one for each BMC zone-will collect discarded puja flowers from the mandaps.
Puja committees have been requested to avoid dumping flowers indiscriminately and instead keep them separately in designated dustbins for collection by BMC vehicles.
Permission Required for Digging
Puja committees planning to dig roads, medians or other public spaces for electricity, drinking water or related arrangements will have to obtain permission from the police, BMC and electricity authorities.
Officials said such permissions would be granted only if the proposed work does not disrupt normal public movement or cause inconvenience to commuters.
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With preparations underway across multiple departments, the civic body has emphasised public safety, traffic management, electrical security, road maintenance, sanitation and environmentally responsible idol immersion ahead of Ganesh Puja in Bhubaneswar.
