Puri: Odisha government Tuesday said it will deploy nearly 7,000 police personnel and 475 CCTV cameras for the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri beginning from July 16.
This was stated by Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan after the second coordination meeting on Rath Yatra.
“This time, the state government has started preparation for the Rath Yatra well in advance since January, and measures are being taken to hold a flawless and incident-free festival,” the minister said.
During the meeting, the minister said all the line departments were asked to complete their work well before the commencement of the Rath Yatra. Special arrangements are made for security, crowd management and health service, he said.
ADGP Soumendra Priyadarshi, who is overall in charge of the security arrangements, both inside the temple and outside, said that a massive plan is in place for the festival where around 220 platoons (1 platoon comprise 30 personnel) of police force will be deployed, while five-tier security measures will be in place from Snana Purnima (June 20) to Niladri Bije (July 28).
He said senior IPS officers will be deployed in different aspects of security like crowd management, traffic, law and order and crime.
Priyadarshi said a special NSG team will be deployed during the festival, and the entire Puri municipal corporation area will remain under CCTV surveillance.
“We have already installed about 200 CCTV cameras along the Grand Road so far,” he said.
Another senior officer said that the special plan is made to avoid a stampede-like situation this time, as three people were killed in a similar situation last year.
Apart from security, the government’s preparation also focus on the health sector as over 10 lakh devotees are likely to congregate on the first day of the festival July 16.
“The Health Department has made elaborate arrangements for devotees, including additional beds at the District Headquarters Hospital and the establishment of a special burn unit,” said Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling.
He said that 30 first-aid centres and two casualty centres will be set up along the Grand Road (Bada Danda) and a fleet of ambulances will be deployed in the festival.
Keeping in view the large congregation, the railways will operate 370 special trains and open additional ticket counters to manage the expected influx of pilgrims. Parking facilities are also being strengthened, officials said.
The Energy Department has been issued special instructions to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to Puri during the festival and also make LED illuminated street light arrangements across Puri.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee told the meeting that the construction work on the three chariots was at the last stage.