Laser lights and flying of drones are not allowed at puja pandals in the Bidhannagar Commissionerate area. This was specified in the police meet with puja organisers that was held recently at the Biswa Bangla convention centre.

“Laser lights are not allowed anywhere near pandals in the interest of crowd security. We want to ensure there are no big crowds at any pandal. No drone cameras are allowed either. To use drones, there is a procedure to secure permission, both from the police and the airport authority since the commissionerate is in the vicinity of the airport. That is why drone cameras are usually not allowed,” said joint commissioner of police, Bidhannagar, B. Varun Chandra Sekhar.

He was briefing the audience, comprising puja committee representatives, on the norms to be followed. The audience included minister Sujit Bose, who is also the president of the Sreebhumi Sporting Club puja, on stage. Its golden jubilee year pandal, modelled after Burj Khalifa of Dubai, had a laser light show in 2021 which was stopped by the police after pilots complained of interference in visibility.

There are 41 permitted pujas under the Bidhannagar North police station, 57 under South, 27 under East and eight under the Electronic Complex police station in Sector V. In New Town, there are 66 permitted pujas under New Town police station, 24 under Techno City and 46 under Eco Park thana. The total, including Rajarhat, Narayanpur, Airport, Lake Town and Baguiati police stations, adds up to 618 under the Bidhannagar Commissionerate area. Of these, 97 are big budget ones. The highest concentration of big-budget pujas is in the Bidhannagar East thana area — 22 out of 27, which is largely concentrated in Sector II.

The police also promised to get roads and lights near pandals repaired before the festive dates in association with the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, New Town Kolkata Development Authority, the public works and the irrigation departments. “In some places, repairs have started. What is left will be done in the coming days,” Sekhar said.

Several pujas spoke up in this regard. “The road opposite Tank 4 into our block directly leading to our pandal is in terrible shape,” complained Tapas Roy on behalf of AE Part I puja.

The police also stressed on installation of CCTV cameras. “Around 500 car passes are being issued by the traffic department to allow local residents access to areas like Sreebhumi and Dum Dum Park,” he added.

Mayor Krishna Chakraborty urged puja committees to seek permission from the civic body for use of the ground. “You will not have to pay anything but you need to take our permission,” she said.

She also asked the police to monitor traffic near the new bridge at Tank 8.