DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION officials have gone into overdrive to ensure that the Anant Chaturdashi procession to be taken out tomorrow goes off sans glitches.
Extensive security measures, including erection of watchtowers and assignation of Special Police Officers (SPOs), are in place to prevent any untoward incident. The administration has enumerated a lengthy list of dos and don’ts for those participating in the procession.
As in the past, carrying of sharp-edged weapons and hockey sticks etc by akhara members has been banned, as has been the use of flame-throwers. In case the akhara Ustads allow their disciples to carry swords, the weapons must remain sheathed.
Mindful, perhaps, of the terror caused by a rampaging elephant at Kamla Nehru zoo, the administration has also forbidden the inclusion of elephants, horses or any other animals in the procession. A joint team of district administration officials and police officials led by ADM Rameshwar Gupta will inspect the tableaux at 6 pm tomorrow before giving the green signal for the procession to begin. Tableaux that fail to move out at the appointed time will not be allowed to join the procession.
In a bid to streamline the procession and avoid bottlenecks, the administration has appealed to tableaux that get stuck owing to power or other failures to move to one side and let the other participants pass. Given below are details of security, traffic and procession route furnished by the administration.
{{/usCountry}}In a bid to streamline the procession and avoid bottlenecks, the administration has appealed to tableaux that get stuck owing to power or other failures to move to one side and let the other participants pass. Given below are details of security, traffic and procession route furnished by the administration.
{{/usCountry}}PROCESSION ROUTE: Starting from the Mill area the tableaux will wend their way through Mazdoor Maidan (Swadeshi Mill), Hope Textiles, DRP Lines, Shram Shivir, Chimanbag Square, Jail Road, MG Road, Krishnapura, Nandlalpura, Jawahar Marg, Narsingh Bazaar Square, Sitlamata Bazaar, Gaura Kund and Khajuri Bazaar before returning to their original destinations via Rajwada, Krishnapura and the stretch of road in front of MG Road police station.
WATCHTOWERS: Thirteen floodlit watchtowers, including a few boasting video cameras, will be erected along major intersections along the procession route. The towers, to come up at Mazdoor Maidan, Hope Textiles Square, Krishnapura bridge, Hamilton Road, Nandlalpura Square, Yeshwant Road Square, Bombay Bazaar, Narsingh Bazaar, Gaura Kund and Rajwada will monitor the procession and submit periodic reports on its progress to the Control Room. A special gang of MPSEB employees will be deployed.
MEDICAL FACILITIES: The district administration will station ambulances at four points along the procession route - IMC headquarters, Kothari Market parking, Kanch Mandir Marg and Rajwada - to cater to any medical emergencies. District administration dispensaries at Central Jail, DRP Lines and State Employees Insurance Scheme dispensaries at Subhash Marg, Yeshwant Road, Malwa Mill, Patnipura, Jawahar Marg, Raj Mohalla, Jail Road and Mahatma Gandhi Marg have been instructed to remain open all night as a further precaution.
TRANSPORT: A fleet of buses will be pressed into service by the MP State Transport Corporation to ferry people from adjoining areas for the procession.
Special traffic arrangements
SPECIAL TRAFFIC arrangements have been made for Ganesh immersion procession this year. The entire stretch through which the procession will pass will not be made one-way for the entire duration, but only in stages looking at the pressure of traffic. From 5 pm the procession route would be made one-way and all devotees would be allowed to go from Mazdoor Maidan to Rajwada.
However, no one would be allowed to come from Mrignayani Crossing to Jail Road and towards Mazdoor Maidan. From 6 pm when traffic pressure on MG Road increases, the road would be closed for vehicular traffic. But, vehicular traffic would be allowed from Jawahar Marg. From 7 pm, all vehicular traffic would be prohibited, even official vehicles on the procession route.