Varanasi: A fortnight ahead of Shardiya Navratri, the Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) has gone into alert mode to spruce up the city and ensure civic arrangements are in place for Durga Puja celebrations.Shardiya Navratri will begin on October 11, while the main Durga Puja celebrations in the city will start from Saptami.Finalising an action plan for the festive period, municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal directed all concerned departments to ensure clean, safe and well-lit surroundings around Durga Puja pandals. In view of the expected heavy footfall, he asked officials to complete arrangements for sanitation, street lighting, drinking water, drainage and road repairs before the celebrations begin.All zonal officers have been asked to prepare lists of Durga Puja pandals in their respective areas, conduct spot inspections and coordinate with the departments concerned for timely action.Sanitation and food inspectors will inspect pandal surroundings daily, ensure regular garbage lifting and prevent waste accumulation. Additional sanitation workers will be deployed, while lime and anti-larval spraying will be carried out to maintain hygiene and check mosquito breeding. Dustbins will also be placed near pandals.The street lighting department has been instructed to repair defunct lights along key routes used by devotees and around pandal sites to ensure there are no dark spots. The civil department will complete pothole repairs and patchwork on roads leading to the pandals.Jal Kal officials have been directed to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply and promptly resolve sewer-related complaints.In view of the possibility of rainfall during the festival, waterlogging-prone areas will be identified in advance. Drains and gully pits will be cleaned and pumping arrangements kept ready.Nagpal fixed accountability for any negligence and directed officials to submit compliance reports, along with photographs, after inspections conducted before and during the festival period.
