Asansol, Nov. 1 -- West Burdwan district is widely recognised as a stronghold of the Hindi-speaking community, a demographic reality that becomes vividly apparent during Chhath Puja.
This year, Chhath vratins will gather at 332 designated ghats set up along rivers, ponds and reservoirs. Of these, the administration has identified 30 ghats where massive crowds gather, making crowd control a perennial challenge for the police. At several prominent venues, footfall is expected to cross the one-lakh mark.
"To manage the unprecedented rush, the administration has decided to deploy dedicated nodal officers at every single ghat. The high-level meeting was attended by three state Cabinet ministers, seven MLAs and top officials from both the polic...