Kolkata: Kolkata Police has launched a special app for pandal hoppers called Puja Bandhu, designed to provide real-time assistance during the Durga Puja festivities.
The app will go live from Chaturthi and will feature the locations of over 100 popular Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata, as well as some in surrounding areas. Users can access detailed routes to these pandals, along with information on the nearest metro and railway stations, local police stations, hospitals and health centres, petrol pumps, parking spaces, public toilets, and ATMs.
In addition, the App allows people to rate and provide feedback on various pandals. For select pandals, users can even view the approximate waiting time in queues in real time, helping devotees plan their visits more efficiently.
In addition, the App will feature a traffic guide map, cyber safety awareness messages, and essential contact numbers for seeking assistance. Alongside the app launch, Commissioner of Police (CP), Kolkata, Manoj Kumar Verma, in the presence of other Kolkata Police officials and dignitaries from Indian Oil, SEBI, and two private banks, unveiled several initiatives for Durga Puja safety.
These include identity badges for children, a cyber safety kiosk model to be installed at major pandals, and a T-shirt carrying a cyber-safe Puja message with a QR code that, when scanned, directs users to the Kolkata Police website. Verma stated: “Our arrangements are complete. The festive season has started. It’s a dynamic situation. Changes will be made based on time-to-time feedback.”
Earlier on Friday, the CP visited several puja pandals to inspect preparations and safety measures. He informed that during the Puja days, additional police deployments will be made for smooth traffic management and crowd control. Verma also mentioned that extra police personnel will be deployed at night to ensure the convenience and safety of pandal visitors.