Udupi: Udupi district police have made elaborate security and traffic arrangements in the city ahead of the Krishna Janmashtami and Vitla Pindi celebrations scheduled for September 4 and 5.
The arrangements have been made with a focus on public safety, maintaining law and order, managing large crowds and ensuring smooth movement of traffic during the festivities.
Over 300 personnel deployed
A total of one Superintendent of Police (SP), one Additional SP, two Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySPs), six Police Inspectors (PIs), 25 Police Sub-Inspectors (PSIs) and 35 Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) have been assigned security duties.
The deployment also includes 186 head constables, police constables and women police personnel, along with 50 home guards.
For additional reinforcement, the department has deployed one Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) platoon and nine District Armed Reserve (DAR) platoons.
Three fire and emergency response teams and two ambulances will remain available to respond to emergencies during the celebrations.
Drone and CCTV surveillance intensified
The police have strengthened surveillance arrangements across the festival areas.
CCTV cameras have been installed at 45 additional locations covering important parts of the city. The festival area will be monitored continuously through the surveillance network.
Three drone teams have also been deployed to provide aerial surveillance and monitor crowd movement across the celebration areas.
In addition, 12 public address systems have been installed at key locations. These systems will be used to make announcements and communicate important instructions to devotees and the public.
Police are also using fingerprint scanners to identify and monitor individuals with a history of criminal activity as part of the enhanced security measures.
Seven parking areas identified
To ease traffic congestion and provide convenient parking for devotees arriving in vehicles, police have identified seven designated parking locations.
The parking areas are:
- MGM Grounds
- Sri Krishna Math Rajangana parking area
- Ammani Ramanna Shetty Hall parking area
- Beedinagudde Grounds
- Beedinagudde Stadium
- Vidyodaya School parking area
- Mandavi Royal Garden parking area
Devotees have been urged to use the designated parking facilities and follow traffic instructions issued by the police.
Special focus on women and children
The police have made additional arrangements to manage the large crowds expected during the celebrations, with special attention being given to the safety of women and children.
Volunteers and personnel associated with the Akka-Pade initiative will assist police in crowd management and public safety.
The additional personnel are expected to help monitor crowded areas and assist devotees who may require support during the celebrations.
Public urged to cooperate
With large numbers of devotees expected to gather for Krishna Janmashtami and Vitla Pindi, police have appealed to the public to cooperate with the security personnel.
Devotees have been asked to follow traffic regulations, use designated parking areas and comply with instructions issued by authorities.
The police said cooperation from the public would be essential to ensure that the celebrations pass off peacefully and safely.
The combination of increased personnel deployment, additional security forces, CCTV monitoring, drone surveillance, emergency response teams and designated parking facilities is aimed at ensuring effective crowd and traffic management during the two-day celebrations.