BHUBANESWAR: Commissionerate Police has made elaborate arrangements to make event-free celebration of Diwali in the Capital City. Special teams from Odisha Armed Police Force have been assigned to monitor activities of miscreants, illegal cracker traders and traffic violators.
The squads deployed on the arterial roads have been instructed to keep a strict vigil near jewellery shops which are witnessing maximum sales during the festive season, said Satyabrata Bhoi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Bhubaneswar.
Barricades erected at important junctions will be under the supervision of a subinspector rank officer, who will be assisted by two constables and an armed guard. Around 25 picketing teams stationed on main roads will monitor activities of commuters, especially speeding bikers, the DCP said.
The entire security apparatus will be supervised by four senior officers of the rank of Additional DCP, who have been directed to submit a status report to Police Commissioner RP Sharma and the DCP on a regular basis.
The police will also keep a watch on the sale and hoarding of illegally imported crackers, especially of the Chinese make. A joint team of police and Odisha State Pollution Control Board has been formed to raid fire cracker shops on a regular basis to seize cracker packets not displaying chemical composition and those which exceed the permitted sound limit of 122 decibels. Crackers which bear manufacturing logo of a foreign country will also be seized, informed the DCP.
Of total 700 applications received by the licensing cell at the DCP office for opening of cracker stalls, 410 have been granted till Tuesday. Police sources said the number of stalls will be restricted within 500 to ensure a safe and peaceful celebration.
This apart, Special Squad and Quick Action Team (QAT) personnel have intensified their vigil to keep a tab on the activities of an inter-state gang of thieves which is reportedly active in the city for the last one month.