Third Eye Vigil on Pilgrim Town

PURI: A five-layer security cover would be thrown over Puri for the ensuing Nabakalebar and Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings.

This was decided at a meeting held to review special security arrangements for the month-long festival on Wednesday, which was presided over by Additional Chief Secretary, Aditya Padhi.

The Grand Road, venue of the Rath Yatra, other main roads, parking lots, pilgrim shelters, bus terminals and the railway station, would be put under close circuit camera (CCTV) surveillance. As many as 350 close circuit cameras (CCTVs) would be installed at the designated places by the State Police Housing Corporation before April.

A central security unit would be opened for the grand fete that would be equipped with three bullet proof four-wheelers, satellite phones, besides sophisticated arms and ammunitions.

For effective crowd management, 30 large digital screens will be installed at various points of the city and a traffic control unit would operate from a special facility at the Kumbharpara police station complex.

Prior to the festival, the four marine police stations at Astarang, Ramchandi, Chakratirth and Arakhkuda would be made fully operational with all state-of-art gadgets and adequate staff. Two interceptor boats would patrol the Puri coastline.  It was decided at the meeting that 16 unsafe buildings along the Grand Road will either be demolished or sealed. The Ministry of Civil Aviation would also be approached seeking permission to declare the temple air space as no-flying zone for one month.

Among others, District Magistrate Aravind Agarwal, DGP Sanjeev Marik, Revenue Divisional Commissioner Bikash Chandra Mahapatra, SP Asish Kumar Singh, Superintending engineer of Archaeological Survey of India (Bhubaneswar circle) Bhuban Bikram participated.

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