Kolkata: After 19 people died in the stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal on the night of October 17, the West Bengal Health Department has decided to deploy doctors at five major crowd-puller pandals in the city to ensure quick medical care in case of any eventuality, according to an official order reported by PTI on October 20.

Teams including medical officers and doctors of the rank of assistant professor will be stationed at the five pandals from 5 pm to 6 am from October 19 to October 21, when Durga Puja ends, the order stated. A separate IANS report said medical teams had been deputed at high-footfall pandals since Sunday evening, with duty from 5 pm to 6 am until the idols are immersed.

Under the deployment, doctors from Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital will be stationed near Santosh Mitra Square, a team from R G Kar Medical College and Hospital will cover the Tala Prattoy pandal, Medical College, Kolkata will cover College Square, the National Medical College team will be at Ekdalia Evergreen, and doctors from SSKM Hospital will be on duty at the Chetla Agrani pandal, PTI reported.

The Health Department has also cancelled the leave of doctors, health workers and all administrative officials, asked IAS officers on leave to rejoin duty immediately, and directed major hospitals in the city to keep their emergency departments fully functional during the festival, according to the order cited by PTI.

The IANS report noted that a section of medical practitioners has questioned the deployment, arguing that if a Chorbagan-like situation recurred, the administration — especially the police — should concentrate on efficient crowd control at the pandals on the remaining Puja days. That view was expressed by a city-based practitioner who did not wish to be named, IANS said.