Kolkata policemen relieved after puja duties get over

KOLKATA: The Monday morning blues were hard to hide. As offices, banks and schools re-opened, people fondly discussed the festival holidays that just went by. It was especially tough for the state government employees coming out after an 11 day break. But for the 25,000 odd Kolkata cops who hardly got a break this Durga puja, Monday was finally a day to relax.Out on the roads since Chaturti, most of them had to spent anywhere between 14 to 18 hours on duty to manage the Durga Puja crowd. Muharram, the Red Road immersion show followed by immersions and the ISL match this Sunday only added to their packed schedule.
Some real life experiences might help portray the situation. A traffic sergeant posted at Deshapriya Park during the pujas was on his feet for 22 hours before he went home. At Shyampukur traffic guard, another sergeant joined duty at 8 am on Saptami near the Kumartulli Park. He could leave for his home at 2 am. The next day he was back at his Md Ali puja spot at 8 am. He could leave only at 3.30 am. For those on duty at Rashbehari Avenue - it was all about deciding when to shut down RB Avenue, and when to keep it open as they dealt with 40 lakh footsteps in a span of four days.
“Thank God it is a Monday. The Laxmi puja immersions are finally over. I do not care if I will get the three CLs for which we will be eligible by the end of December. All I need is some sleep. Even my family members said I have become a bit cranky in the past couple of days,” said an OC of a police station which handled big budget pujas like Chaltabagan and was assigned important immersion ghat duties. His subordinates had a similar ordeal because no one in the force could afford a break. Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar himself was managing crowd throughout the night – unprecedented as it is, Kumar chose to stay at the Deshapriya Park control room till 4.30 am on both Asthami and Nabami.
“The city swells by more than a million extra people for over 10 days. It is mind-boggling to think that this year we managed 4500 pujas without too many hiccups. We are hoping that technology can help us overcome our little deficiencies in the coming days,” said an additional CP. Lalbazar though insisted that they did pull through another successful puja amidst all the challenges. A long post on Dashami by a senior IPS officer who handled the control room perhaps summed up the mood of the men in uniform – all they want is some sincere recognition of their work from you and me.