Police go on festive overdrive

During this year’s Ganeshotsav, the echoes of the July 11 blasts will accompany Ganapati Bappa Morya chants. In view of the warning of a possible terror strike during the festival, the police will not be taking any chance. Over 95 per cent of its personnel will be on the streets watching out for suspicious movements.

A senior police official said barring a skeletal staff that would look after essential operations of police stations, the entire force attached to all the 86 stations would be on the streets day and night during the 10-day festival. Police personnel from other elite departments, like the Crime Branch and the Crime Intelligence Unit, will also be involved in intelligence gathering to provide a secure ambience during the biggest festival the city witnesses each year in terms of sheer volume of people thronging the streets.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Arup Patnaik said, “We are trying to take more people out of police stations. This is not only being done to ensure a visible presence but also to put in place an enhanced security apparatus all around the city during Ganeshchaturti.” The police will also deploy three vehicles mounted with closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs), each capable of 360-degree manoeuvrability.

Patnaik said, “These CCTVs are aimed at deterring possible disruptive elements from creating trouble in public, as their acts can be recorded by these cameras with a range of 100 metres. In addition, these CCTVs will be linked to the main control rooms that will continuously monitor the crowds for suspicious elements.” Many Ganeshotsav mandals have taken the onus of security upon themselves, some even forming “spy cells” to keep an eye on suspicious elements. Others have doubled the number of security guards compared to last year.

“We’ve formed a 15-member team of volunteers called Spy Squad, which will keep an eye on everything — from devotees to visitors — in the pandal. The names and identities of the volunteers will not be disclosed and instructions given to them are as per the police guidelines,” said Swapnil Parab, secretary of the Ganesh Galli Mandal. The mandal has invested Rs2 lakh (of the total budget of Rs12 lakh) on security measures, like buying metal detectors, setting up three watch towers, and installing CCTVs. Nearly 50,000 devotees are expected to visit the pandal everyday during the festival.

GSB Ganesh Mandal in Wadala, one of the richest pandals in the city which records the highest quantity of gold and silver ornaments offered by devotees is also taking no chance.