3,500 police personnel to guard Kanwar Yatra in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad: About 3,500 police personnel will be deployed in Ghaziabad across the 126km routes passing through the district as part of elaborate security arrangements for the upcoming Kanwar Yatra, police officials said on Tuesday

Ghaziabad: About 3,500 police personnel will be deployed in Ghaziabad across the 126km routes passing through the district as part of elaborate security arrangements for the upcoming Kanwar Yatra, police officials said on Tuesday.

Last Friday, the Ghaziabad traffic police announced a traffic diversion plan for the annual Kanwar Yatra, with restrictions to remain in place from July 29 to August 12 on different Kanwar routes. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

According to official figures, the Ghaziabad district has three major Kanwar routes: 37km of the Pipeline Road to Loni, a 39km route from Kadrabad (Ghaziabad-Meerut border) to Seemapuri Border (with Delhi), and about 50km of the route on the Delhi Meerut Expressway.

“This time, the routes are divided into 157 beats with 502 static duty points. Further, 100 police response vehicles, 16 quick reaction teams, eight watchtowers, and 10 control rooms, including the main control room at Meerut Crossing, will be deployed. All these control rooms will monitor the movement of Kanwariyas and keep a tab on traffic and anti-social elements,” assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Upasana Pandey, nodal officer for the Kanwar Yatra, told HT.

During the pilgrimage, there is a huge inflow of Kanwariyas as these Lord Shiva devotees arrive from Uttarakhand and pass through Ghaziabad to different destinations towards Gautam Budh Nagar, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, among other places.

Officials said tethered drones will be deployed at the Upper Ganga Canal (UGC) at Muradnagar, a major connecting point for the devotees using the UGC Road from Haridwar and those arriving on the Delhi Meerut Road from Haridwar.

“All camps and shops will be set up behind the road barricading areas to avoid hindering the movement of Kanwariyas. A single-window system, comprising officials from different departments, has been set up at police lines to grant permission for setting up Kanwar camps. We have already started surveillance of anti-social elements through social media cell,” the ACP added.

Officials said that a public address system will also be deployed at 33 different points, while 12 fire tenders, 65 ambulances, 41 mobile crane vehicles, 79 mobile hydraulic crane vehicles, and nine recovery vehicles will also be deployed.

They said that 152 duty points along the major Kanwar routes have also been identified for the traffic police personnel. Green corridors and emergency exits will also come up at the ancient Dudheshwar Nath Temple, near MMG district hospital, where Kanwariyas will congregater to offer Ganga Jal to the deities on August 11/12.

Last Friday, the Ghaziabad traffic police announced a traffic diversion plan for the annual Kanwar Yatra, with restrictions to remain in place from July 29 to August 12 for different categories of vehicles on different Kanwar routes.