BHUBANESWAR/PURI : In a bid to check incidents of snatching and theft of valuables from devotees during inauguration of Parikrama project, Puri police have installed 135 facial recognition CCTV cameras at various places in the pilgrim town. The camera feed will be monitored through a control room set-up at the heritage corridor.
Police said they have stored photographs of more than 120 habitual offenders and the CCTV control room will receive an alert on the screens if anyone of them is spotted in the area. Police personnel in plain clothes will then detain them for questioning, said sources.
Apart from installing CCTV cameras, bomb detection and disposal squads, K-9 squad and anti-sabotage check teams have been deployed to maintain law and order. Joint teams of police, district and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) officials will also be deployed at the heritage corridor and yagna sthalas to ensure the event passes off smoothly.
Police informed there will be no traffic restrictions between January 12 and 16. Around 600 volunteers have been imparted training to regulate traffic and assist the elderly and differently-abled devotees during the ceremony.
Central Range IG Ashish Kumar Singh said highest level of security will be maintained by using latest gadgets and deploying adequate manpower. While 44 platoons of police force will be deployed between January 12 and 16, an additional 24 platoons will be engaged during the inauguration ceremony on January 17.
Meanwhile, Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb ceremonially entrusted acharya, chief of yagna team of 108 Sotriya Brahmins, by handing him over sacred betel nut, thread and coconut to perform the three-day yagna.