Kolkata Police enhance security arrangements for Christmas, New Year celebrations

Kolkata, Dec 24 (IANS) Elaborate security arrangements have been made in Kolkata to avert any untoward situation during Christmas and New Year festivities, said officials on Thursday.

The Kolkata Police headquarters has decided to deploy 1,500 police personnel on the streets of Kolkata, and the deployment will continue till late Thursday evening.

According to a senior official of the city police, the security arrangement has been made elaborate, not just keeping in mind the massive footfall but also to prevent any trickling effect of the continuing violence in neighbouring Bangladesh that might spoil the festive mood.

Senior city police officers in the ranks of deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, and inspectors of police would also be on the streets in shifts during the entire period, starting from Wednesday evening to Thursday night.

The forces deployed on the streets will operate under direct supervision from the police control rooms, which will be manned by officers in the ranks of joint commissioners and additional commissioners.

As expected, the party hub of Park Street in central Kolkata and its adjacent locations will have maximum security deployment attention. Similar deployments will be at the different churches in the city from Wednesday evening.

An all-women wing of the city police will be deployed round-the-clock to prevent events of harassment of women and cases of eve-teasing.

Four to five watchtowers have already been installed in the Park Street area. Quick Response Teams (QRTs) and Heavy Radio Flying Squads (HRFS) will also be present on Park Street during the period from Wednesday evening to Thursday night.

Besides the Park Street area, police personnel will also be deployed at the Zoological Garden in Alipore, Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, Maidan, and other popular tourist spots.

“There will be an adequate number of women police personnel, plain-dress sleuths, and combat teams. Special protection and surveillance arrangements have been made in the important churches in the city. Checking points will be there at several entry points to the city,” a senior police official said.

Besides the police, the state Disaster Management Department has kept its teams ready for any emergency. Trauma-care ambulances and deployment of life-saving disaster management teams at the river points in and around the city are part of the security arrangements. The personnel of the River Traffic Police will conduct constant patrolling on the water through speedboats.

–IANS

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