Ahead of Moto GP, two new watchtowers come up on Yamuna Expressway

The Moto GP racing event is being held in the country for the first time at Greater Noida’s Buddh International Circuit from September 22 to 24

With an aim to increase police presence on the Yamuna Expressway ahead of the international Moto Grand Prix event later this month, two new watchtowers have been made operational on the expressway from Friday by the Gautam Budh Nagar police.

These watchtowers will be manned round the clock by personnel equipped with binoculars, flashlights and wireless sets. (HT Photo)

The Moto GP racing event is being held in the country for the first time at Greater Noida’s Buddh International Circuit from September 22 to 24.

Over 10,000 foreign nationals, including VIPs, and over 150,000 spectators are expected to attend the event. The Buddh International Circuit is located along Yamuna Expressway in Jaypee Sports City, and is about 18 kilometers away from the zero point of the expressway located near Pari Chowk, Greater Noida.

Commissioner of police Laxmi Singh said, “A comprehensive highway patrolling action plan has been prepared to strengthen the security arrangements on Yamuna Expressway, under which highway patrolling is being increased. To that end, these two watchtowers have been constructed and personnel have been deployed from Dankaur police station to man the towers.”

According to Anand Kulkarni, joint commissioner of police (law and order), police personnel are on 12-hour shifts round the clock.

“These watchtowers will be manned round the clock by personnel equipped with binoculars, flashlights and wireless sets. They will work in coordination with mobile units of the local police stations and Dial 112 police response vehicles (PRVs),” said Kulkarni.

The two new watchtowers have been erected on either side of the expressway. On the side going from zero point towards Jewar, the watchtower is located at the 12km milestone, while on the side from Jewar towards zero point, the second watchtower is located on the 18km milestone, near the Buddh International Circuit.

“Apart from the upcoming international event, the objective behind establishing these watchtowers is to minimise any criminal incidents on the Yamuna Expressway and instil a sense of confidence among commuters that police presence is adequate on the stretch. The aim is to provide a safe environment to the public so that any suspicious activities can be flagged by the personnel on the watchtowers,” said Kulkarni.

The joint CP said the two watchtowers are part of a pilot project and a total of 10 such towers will be erected across the 50km stretch of the expressway in the district, one every 10km of the expressway.

“Apart from that, two police booths will also be made operational along the Yamuna Expressway soon, wherein commuters in distress can approach the police for any assistance,” he said.

Commuters said so far there is barely any police presence on the Yamuna Expressway.

Soumitra Prakash, a student of a private university located along the Yamuna Expressway, who travels on the stretch daily, said, “The Yamuna Expressway stretch is a commuter’s nightmare as there is barely any police presence in the area. In order to reach any police station or police post in an emergency, a commuter will have to wait for the next exit on the expressway, which is often several kilometres away. The watchtowers will definitely help reassure commuters about police presence on the expressway.”