Pandals warned over fire safety as puja preparations gather pace

An idol of Goddess Durga being prepared in PatnaPatna : Durga Puja pandals failing to comply with fire-safety guidelines will be sealed from Sunday, DIG Nat warned on Friday, as the fire services stepped up safety checks ahead of the festival. Patna has around 1,500 pandals this year, including nearly 100 large installations, a 30-32% increase over last year, said the DIG.