The East Singhbhum district administration came out with a traffic management plan for the pujas on Tuesday.

The plan aims to ensure smooth movement of heavy commercial and private vehicles from October 22 till immersion on October 26.

The plan, drawn up jointly by the deputy commissioner Suraj Kumar, senior SP M Tamil Vanan and deputy superintendent of police (traffic) Shrivendra, focuses on maintaining social distancing and streamlining vehicular movement during the puja period.

Movement of heavy vehicles will remain restricted in the steel city from 11 am to 4 am from October 22 till October 25. On October 26, day of immersion, the movement of heavy vehicles will remain restricted from 6 am and 11.30 pm. From 4 am till 11 am, there will be no restrictions on heavy vehicles entering and leaving the city.

During the restriction period, heavy vehicles seeking to enter the steel city need to be parked in the Transport Nagar in Mango. Buses have been exempted from the restrictions and will operate as usual. No heavy vehicles can be parked along the Marine Drive during the restricted period and if any truck or trailer is found parked there, the owner or the driver will be heavily penalised.

"We have given seven hour relaxations for the movement of heavy vehicles because by doing so industrial activities in and around the steel city will remain unaffected," Shrivendra told The Telegraph Online.

Pillion riding will remain strictly banned, thus movement of two-wheelers on the road will decrease considerably.

"Double-riding will remain banned and those riding two-wheelers will have to wear masks. Even those who wish to move around in a car or on foot also will have to wear masks compulsorily. We have decided this in view of maintaining Covid norms," Shrivendra added.

He also said that the administration expects very few people to be on the streets this year. Nevertheless, parking zones have been set up across the city, and several important roads will become one-way.

"Parking zones have been earmarked at the Ganesh Puja maidan in Kadma, near the Ravindra Bhavan in Sakchi and near the JNAC office in Sakchi. The roads which have been made one-way include Kalimati Road and Bistupur-Sonari Road," the DSP (Traffic) informed.