23k cops, AI cameras for Friday’s Ganpati immersion

Joint police commissioners Manojkumar Sharma (Law & Order) and Satyanarayan Chaudhary (Traffic) said the force had made arrangements to manage the crowds while keeping roads and immersion sites safe

MUMBAI: With thousands of Ganpati idols set to take their final journey on Friday, Mumbai will see a massive security and traffic operation, deploying 23,000 police personnel as nearly 7,000 community mandal idols and more than 1.5 lakh household Ganpatis are expected to be immersed across 341 natural and artificial immersion points. AI-powered cameras, lifeguards, emergency teams and road closures will form part of the city arrangements.

23k cops, AI cameras for Friday’s Ganpati immersion. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

Joint police commissioners Manojkumar Sharma (Law & Order) and Satyanarayan Chaudhary (Traffic) said the force had made arrangements to manage the crowds while keeping roads and immersion sites safe.

The deployment includes nine additional commissioners, 38 deputy commissioners, 66 assistant commissioners, 3,213 police officers and 18,940 personnel. Teams from the SRPF, QRT, Delta Force, Force One and Home Guards will also be on duty.

Major immersion points include Gateway of India, Girgaon Chowpatty, Dadar, Mahim, Versova Jetty, Malad Jetty and Powai Lake. Police have barricaded 65 natural immersion points and 205 artificial ponds and installed CCTV cameras and public-address systems.

Along with CCTV cameras, this year, AI-enabled cameras have also been installed. These cameras will not only flag unusually large crowds but also help track police personnel locations. ”We have also fed the data of criminals and miscreants into the system so that the facial recognition cameras can identify them in crowds and flag them, preventing any untoward incidents,” Sharma said.

A control room will monitor the situation and display public announcements and awareness messages. Special teams will look out for possible terror-related activity and help trace missing children. “Doctors will also be posted at various points to treat devotees and staff if needed,” said Sharma.

Women officers in uniform and plain clothes will be deployed at immersion sites and along roads. Citizens can call 112 for assistance. Police have prohibited drones in restricted areas and photographing immersed idols for social media.

The traffic police will deploy 3,500 personnel and 250 officers, with restrictions on heavy vehicles. A total of 84 arterial roads and connecting stretches around Lalbaug, Parel, Girgaon Chowpatty and Dadar will be closed or restricted to general traffic.

Several diversions will be in place across south Mumbai and central suburbs. South-bound motorists have been advised to use the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road. The police have also requested the Railways to run trains round the clock on Friday to handle the expected crowds.