Kolkata Police floats Rs 89 lakh tender to dress up puja volunteers in saffron

Kolkata: The foot soldiers of Kolkata Police are poised for an unmistakable visual transformation this Durga Puja. Moving away from its decades-old white-and-blue aesthetic, the force is rolling out a shade of orange across its staggering 20,000-strong non-cop crowd-management ranks for this year’s pujas.Lalbazar has officially floated a Rs 89 lakh tender to dress up temporary volunteers — who will be deployed to manage traffic and pedestrians between Tritiya and Dashami — in vibrant full-sleeve T-shirts and matching peak caps. Designed to stand out against packed pandal corridors and surging crowds, the high-visibility overhaul covers 12,000 units in deep orange and 8,000 in light orange. Bidding for the technical and financial evaluation is slated to close on Sept 30, with an earnest money deposit fixed at Rs 1.8 lakh.The choice of palette goes beyond mere aesthetics, claim senior officers — it is a calculated operational strategy.