Gautam Budh Nagar police hold meet with Delhi authorities ahead of Chhath Puja

Gautam Budh Nagar police on Wednesday held meetings with the Delhi police and officials of the Delhi administration to review security arrangements at the Okhla barrage in Sector 126 ahead of the four-day-long Chhath festival that is set to begin on Friday

Gautam Budh Nagar police on Wednesday held meetings with the Delhi police and officials of the Delhi administration to review security arrangements at the Okhla barrage in Sector 126 ahead of the four-day-long Chhath festival that is set to begin on Friday. Celebrated mostly by people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh after Diwali, Chhath involves the offering of ‘arghya’ by fasting women to the sun god in knee-deep water. Officials said that over 60,000 people are expected to gather at the Okhla barrage to Chhath this year.

ACP Ashutosh Dwivedi and Noida Police survey the Yamuna bank at Okhla barrage where a special Chhath Ghat will be built. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Phot)

“We are constantly in touch with the Delhi police, including traffic police personnel for crowd and traffic management in the area. The Okhla barrage is visited by people from not only Noida but also Delhi every year for the festival,” Harish Chander, deputy commissioner of police, Noida, said. He added that local divers have been hired for rescue operations in case of any emergency. “Local divers from nearby villagers are highly specialised and have been hired by the police for emergencies. They will be available with boats which will be used in such situations. In addition, heavy deployment has been ensured, including a company of police personnel specialised to deal with flood-like situations with streamer boats,” he informed.

Officials also reviewed security arrangements around the Okhla barrage in Sector 126 on Tuesday. “In view of the upcoming festival, Gautam Budh Nagar police have been carrying out security arrangements and inspected the Okhla barrage on Tuesday, along with top officials of the Noida zone. As a precautionary measure, eight divers have been deputed in the area to help with rescue efforts in case there are any incidents of drowning,” Ashutosh Dwivedi, additional DCP, Noida, said. It was observed during the inspection that the water level of the Yamuna was high. “Accordingly, the positioning of the barricades to be set up in the area was decided by the police personnel. Heavy police force deployment will be ensured in the area to control the crowd. People are advised not to go deep into the water and celebrate the festival in a safe manner,” he said. In addition to this, concerned authorities were instructed to clear the bushes on the banks for the convenience of the devotees, he added.