Nagpur deploys 6,400 police for Ganesh immersion, bans laser and DJ lights

Police in Nagpur have put in place tight security arrangements for the Ganesh idol immersion to be held on Friday on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi. Commissioner of Police Vishwas Nangare Patil briefed the media on the entire arrangement.

He said the city has 1,702 public Ganesh mandals and more than 2 lakh household Ganesh idols are to be immersed. In view of this, around 6,400 police officers and personnel have been deployed. Apart from the police force, all immersion sites will also be monitored through CCTV cameras and drones. Continuous monitoring will be carried out from the command control centre through 2,958 CCTV cameras installed at crowded locations.

The Commissioner said police would keep watch on every inch of the area. Joint CP Naveenchandra Reddy, DIG Vinita Sahu, Basant Pardeshi, Rajendra Dabhade and all senior officers were present on the occasion. The Commissioner also said the ban on loud sound systems and laser beam lights will continue. He said stricter measures are being enforced this time in line with the directions of the Bombay High Court and its Nagpur bench, and that following the law is the responsibility of every organisation and every citizen.

Entry of heavy vehicles will be closed on all roads in Nagpur district from 6 pm to midnight on September 25 and 26, and heavy vehicles will be diverted onto other routes in view of the immersion processions. Traffic from Model Mill Chowk will be diverted towards Ramkund Circle and Jadhav Chowk, from Ayachit Mandir Chowk towards Jadhav Chowk and Raman Science Park, and from Maulana Natiq Chowk and Tilak Putla Chowk towards Raman Science Park.

Joint CP Naveenchandra Reddy said the number of public Ganesh mandals has gone up by 140 compared to last year. The largest immersions will take place at Koradi and Gorewada lakes. Besides these, heavy crowds are also expected at Sitabuldi, Futala, Koradi, Itwari, Mahal, Jafar Nagar, Cotton Market, Gandhi Nagar and Bhandewadi Road, for which the traffic department has made special arrangements. Several mandals have changed their earlier immersion routes this year, with some choosing to immerse idols at Gorewada lake and Police Line Takli lake instead of Koradi lake.

About 70 percent of the Nagpur police force, from the Commissioner down to all officers and staff, has been deployed for immersion security. The fire department is also on standby to handle any emergency, with 11 fire stations, 31 fire vehicles and 13 disaster management teams in the city kept in reserve. Four mobile surveillance vans will also keep watch on crowds and sensitive areas.

Police have also stepped up monitoring of social media during Ganeshotsav. So far 771 posts and videos have been checked, of which 13 were found objectionable and action was taken against them. Police said social media would continue to be monitored closely during the immersion.