NEW DELHI: A special team of CISF experts will conduct a protection and anti-fire cover audit of next year's Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, according to officials. The survey of the mela area will be undertaken at the banks where rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati confluence. Following the inspection of the designated areas, the team will submit its report to the Uttar Pradesh Police and the administration which will be the overall in-charge of security arrangements for the event, said officials.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has a security consultancy wing which gives organisations its advice on how to prepare against potential security, fire and disaster threats. Raised in 1999, it has provided its expertise to over 180 organisations and institutions like IITs, IIMs, and RBI, among others. The assessment will help the team suggest the authorities on the installation of the CCTV cameras, deployment of security staff around the mela and installation of emergency response gadgets.
With the Kumbh drawing crores of visitors and devotees, the CISF felt it was imperative to carry out a thorough security assessment before the congregation starts. The usual 5,000 acre Kumbh Mela would be doubled to 10,000 acre this year and it is expected around 15 crore people will attend the event, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said earlier.
Starting January 15 in 2019, the event will be a 49-day affair. The consultancy wing of the CISF - a central force tasked to guard 60 civil airports in the country apart from securing vital aerospace and nuclear installations - will conduct a similar audit at the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhawan and secretariat and the chief minister's residence in Lucknow.