Bhubaneswar: The holy town of Odisha’s Puri has been placed under heavy security cover for the upcoming annual Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra (Chariot Procession), which began on June 27.
The festival began on June 12 this year, with Snana Purnima, a ritual where the deities are bathed in a grand ceremony. As spiritual fervor soars, the entire town of Puri has been placed under a multi-layered security cover to ensure a safe and smooth conduct of the massive festival, which draws lakhs of devotees from around the globe. To manage the massive footfall and maintain law and order during the Rath Yatra, nearly 10,000 police personnel will be deployed across the town.
The Odisha Police said advanced arrangements, including surveillance through Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled cameras and drone monitoring, have been made to handle the expected crowd of nearly 15 lakh devotees.
“Around 275 AI-enabled CCTV cameras have been installed along the route between Uttara Chhak and Puri town and between Puri and Konark. The live visuals from these cameras will be monitored round the clock," Director General of Police Y B Khurania told news18.com.
Khurania said the AI-powered surveillance system will keep watch on traffic movements, crowd surge, and help security personnel make a prompt decision and face emergencies in case any happen. Sub-control rooms have also been set up at key locations, he said.
For the first time, NSG (National Security Guard) snipers have also been deployed on the rooftops of buildings, given the threat assessment, while anti-drone technology and police-operated drones will also be in use for aerial surveillance, Khurania said, adding that anti-sabotage teams, bomb squads, and dog squads are also in place.
Along with Odisha Police, eight companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed. For coastal vigilance, the Marine Police, Indian Coast Guard, and Indian Navy are working jointly to monitor the coastline.
