Sobhandeb holds meeting to ensure hassle-free power delivery during Jagadhatri Puja in Hooghly

Kolkata: State Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhay on Friday held a high-level meeting at Rabindra Bhavan in Chandannagore, Hooghly, to ensure smooth power supply during the upcoming Jagadhatri Puja.

The Puja at Chandannagore is celebrated with pomp and grandeur every year and the special lighting arrangements attract people from all parts of the state.

There are some circumstantial difficulties that the people of Chandannagore face every year on the day of immersion of the Jagadhatri idol. The overhead electric wires beside the roads need to be dismantled to facilitate immersion and the households are plunged into darkness as a result for nearly five hours.

"I have instructed my officials to be on the field on that particular day and take all possible measures to minimise this timing of power cut, so that people are not inconvenienced much," Chattopadhyay said.

Indranil Sen, minister of state for Information and Cultural Affairs and MLA of Chandannagore, urged the minister to take steps for channeling the electric wires underground.

The minister assured to take up the matter with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for arrangement of funds, so that the work can be undertaken for this purpose. "If funds are available then the project may be executed before Jagadhatri Puja next year," said a senior official of the department who attended the meeting.

The security aspect was also discussed in the meeting, in presence of senior police officials including Commissioner of Chandannagore Commissionerate and Superintendent of Police Hooghly.

It has been decided that the police will use drones for surveillance during the Puja. There will be 200 CCTV cameras and more than 1,000 police personnel will be on road during the Puja and the day of immersion.

There will also be medical teams at some prominent locations and temporary fire stations at six places.