Police finalise security roadmap for Jagannath Rath Yatra

The city police have given a final shape to the overall security arrangements for the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra procession to be held here on June 29.
Briefing reporters at the Police Headquarters here today, Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police (CP) Shivanand Jha said more than 19,000 uniformed police and para-military men would be deployed to provide elaborate security for the rath yatra of around 18 km inside the walled city.
Reinforcements would include eight IG and DIG-level officers, 39 SPs, 76 DySPs, 222 police inspectors, 759 police sub-inspectors, 266 police women, 12,050 constables, two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies, 36 companies of the Gujarat State Reserve Police (SRP), eight companies of the Border Security Force (BSF), four Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) companies, four Rapid Action Force (RAF) companies and 4500 homeguards.

"In addition to these forces, we will also take help from neighbourhood committee volunteers and other local leaders, who will stand at different points, along with the police. To make everyone aware about their role, we will conduct rehearsals twice on the procession route," Jha said.
The procession would comprise 18 elephants, 100 trucks, 30 religious congregations, 18 singing troupes, three chariots and seven cars.
Since several areas on the procession route like Shahpur, Dariyapur, Astodia and Kalupur are considered communally sensitive, the police would use technology to keep a close watch on every movement, Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) Special Branch Vikas Sahay told reporters.

To stop miscreants from using terraces of houses in narrow lanes, terrace surveillance exercises using four 'Netra', unmanned aerial vehicles, have already begun, he said.