Cuttack, Sep 8: Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Binaytosh Mishra today directed SPs under the Central Range to make advance security arrangements for the upcoming festive season, stressing preventive measures, crowd management and coordination with local communities to ensure peaceful celebrations.
Mishra chaired a high-level review meeting at the State Police Headquarters in Cuttack on Tuesday to assess the law-and-order situation, crime control and overall policing arrangements across districts under the Central Range.
With a series of major festivals lined up in the coming weeks and months, including Ganesh Puja, Nuakhai, Vishwakarma Puja, Durga Puja, Gajalaxmi Puja, Diwali and Kali Puja, Panchuka and Bali Yatra, the DGP directed police officers to begin preparations well in advance.
He emphasised the need to ensure that all festivals are conducted in a peaceful, orderly and secure environment.
Adequate police deployment at sensitive locations, effective crowd management and smooth traffic regulation should remain key priorities during the festive period, he told district superintendents of police (SPs).
The DGP also instructed SPs to organise peace committee meetings and maintain continuous coordination with local elected representatives, community leaders and various organisations.
Regular monitoring of communally sensitive areas and timely preventive action were stressed to prevent any untoward incidents during the celebrations.
Mishra underlined the importance of strengthening intelligence gathering to identify potential threats and law-and-order issues before they escalate. Police units were directed to collect advance inputs on possible criminal activities and take prompt preventive measures based on the information received.
The DGP also called for close monitoring of rumours and provocative, objectionable or misleading content circulating on social media. Police were asked to respond effectively to attempts to spread misinformation that could create tension or disrupt public order during the festive season.
