BHUBANESWAR: With just two days left for the Rath Yatra, Puri police on Monday carried out a ‘dummy car pulling rehearsal’ to enhance operational readiness and coordination among the security personnel for safe and smooth conduct of the festival.
The exercise was conducted at the Reserve Police ground in Puri under the supervision of ADG SK Priyadarsi, who is the overall in-charge of security for Rath Yatra, IG Central Range Satyajit Naik, SP Prateek Singh and other senior officers.
Naik informed that around 18 platoons of police force will be deployed for the cordon duty during the pulling of the chariots. “ State police, CAPF personnel and district administration officials are involved in the cordon duty and a mock drill was conducted to ensure swift coordination among them in case of an untoward incident during the festival,” he said.
Naik added that in the event of a stampede-like situation or any other emergency, specific locations have been identified from where the crowd will be diverted. About 30 designated emergency response points have been created for safe evacuation of the devotees, if required, he said.
SP Singh noted that the biggest challenge they face every year was to check that the chariots are pulled smoothly. “The entire operation follows a complex, step-by-step sequence, which must be managed carefully so that the lakhs of devotees can participate in the festival safely.
The dummy exercise was conducted to make sure effective coordination is maintained among all the teams involved during the chariot pulling,” he said adding, all efforts will be made to ensure the chariots are pulled smoothly.
Earlier in the day, police also conducted a lifeguard briefing at the Puri beach to strengthen safety measures, coordination and preparedness for the safety of the tourists.
On the day, Prakash Mishra, advisor to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, reviewed the security, traffic and overall preparedness for Rath Yatra in Puri. The review focused on strengthening inter-agency coordination, crowd management, traffic regulation, operational readiness and emergency response to ensure a safe, secure and hassle-free Rath Yatra festival for the devotees, said the officials.