50,000 personnel, 5000 CCTVs to help Mumbai police maintain vigil during Ganesh visarjan
Plainclothes policemen will also mingle in the crowd to ensure safety of women and children (Representational Image, Courtesy: Hive Miner/Flickr)
50,000 personnel will be deployed across the city, and a network of 5,000 CCTV cameras will be put to use, to maintain vigil during the immersion of Ganesh idols on Sunday on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi.
The 50,000 police personnel will include those from specialised units like Force One, Quick Response Teams (QRT), Anti-Terrorism Cells (ATC) would be deployed in the city, Mumbai police spokesperson DCP Manjunath Singe said.
Further, additional manpower in the form of 12 companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), a company of the Rapid Action Force as well as Home Guards will be utilised, Singe added.
Plainclothes policemen would also mingle in the crowd to keep an eye on the security of women and children.
“Our focus will be on anti-sabotage checks and anti-terrorism measures. Accordingly, BDDS and dog squads will be kept ready to respond to any situation,” he said.
Singe said that the city has 162 idol immersion spots, including Girgaum Chowpatty, Dadar, Juhu, Versova and Powai, and several of them will have CCTV cameras in place.
Over 5,000 CCTV cameras, which will be monitored from the police control room, will be in place for the immersion processions.
The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal, among the most famous and crowded of public festivities in the metropolis, will have a special arrangement of drones to cover the immersion route till Girgaum Chowpatty, Singe said.
Related: Abuses, altercations & violence: Mumbai police facing brunt of festivities this Ganesh Chaturthi
3,161 traffic police and 500 wardens will be deputed to regulate traffic on Sunday. In addition, 53 roads will be closed for traffic, 56 roads will be made one-way and 99 roads will be closed for heavy vehicles.
The senior official has urged people to not believe in rumours and to get in touch with the police by way of social media platforms like Whatsapp and Twitter and a dedicated police helpline.
Instructions have been given to police stations to ensure implementation of High Court orders on noise pollution, he said, adding that cases were registered against 103 Ganesh Mandals for violating these norms.
With agency inputs
