CUTTACK: The Commissionerate police has imposed several restrictions on organising cultural programmes like music and dance shows, bhajan recitals, religious discourse and procession during the upcoming Ganesh Puja and Durga Puja in the millennium city.
No puja committee or club will be allowed to hold cultural programmes without obtaining fitness certificate of the stage to be constructed near puja pandals. Fitness certificate will also be required for erection of welcome arches. The puja organisers will have to paste photocopies of the fitness certificate of the stage and welcome arch at their mandaps.
Puja organisers will have to apply for the fitness certificates with a special committee which will be formed involving officials of Commissionerate police, Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and Roads and Buildings department. The committee will inspect the construction of stages and welcome arches near the puja mandaps. After verifying the feasibility, it will provide the fitness certificates to puja organisers, said additional DCP Anil Mishra.
Besides, puja organisers will be allowed to use speakers with a maximum permissible sound level of 65 decibel. A special squad consisting of police and pollution control board officials will inspect the sound systems used during cultural programmes and immersion ceremony. The organisers will be allowed to use a total of six sound boxes of 1,200 watt including four top and two base boxes.
Mishra said like previous years, DJ performance has been banned. There will also be no use of fireworks. No cultural programme will be allowed after 10 pm.
“We have apprised the representatives of different puja committees and clubs about the restrictions during the recent preparatory meeting for Ganesh Puja. Stringent action will be initiated if any committee or club is found violating the instructions,” he added.