Preparations for Durga Puja have been completed, and law enforcement agencies will be deployed across the country from September 24 to ensure security, said Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Sunday.

He made the announcement while briefing reporters after the 14th meeting of the Law and Order Advisory Council Committee at the Secretariat.

The adviser said the main festivities of Durga Puja will begin on September 28.

From September 24, law enforcement agencies will remain in the field. Besides, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs will deploy 80,000 volunteers this year. The government has taken full preparations to ensure that the festival is celebrated peacefully and without disruption, he added.

Replying to a query about narcotics, the adviser said various routes are being used to smuggle drugs into the country, while rice, fertilizer, and medicines are being smuggled out.

Not only through Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong routes, but rice and fertilizer are also being trafficked through river routes near Barishal and Barguna. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard and Navy are working to prevent such smuggling, he said.

About incidents of idol vandalism in some areas, the adviser said a few isolated incidents may occur.

But the government is alert and watchful. Perpetrators will be identified through CCTV footage and brought under the law, he said.

On the issue of potato prices, the adviser said farmers are not getting fair prices.

If this continues, they may reduce or stop potato cultivation, which would later lead to price hikes. To ensure fair prices, the government has set a minimum price of Tk 22 per kg at the cold storage gate. Besides, the government will purchase 50,000 metric tonnes of potatoes for preservation in cold storage, he added.