Despite terror alert, 1 lakh flock to Siddhivinayak on Friday

While security at the Siddhivinayak temple, Prabhadevi, has been stepped up after a terror alert, it has not stopped hordes of devotees from visiting the shrine for the ongoing Maghi Ganesh Utsav.

While security at the Siddhivinayak temple, Prabhadevi, has been stepped up after a terror alert, it has not stopped hordes of devotees from visiting the shrine for the ongoing Maghi Ganesh Utsav.

Security-outside-Siddhivinayak-Temple-in-Mumbai-was-beefed-up-after-intelligence-agencies-issued-an-alert-Kunal-Patil-HT-photo

The festival is marked by several rituals at the temple, and is being celebrated from January 21 to January 26 this year.

On Friday – the day of Varad Chaturthi – more than 1lakh people visited the temple.

“Terror alerts are not going to deter us from visiting Siddhivinayak,” said Sayali Chavan, a resident of Parel, who was in the queue to enter the temple on Friday.

While the shrine is equipped with CCTV cameras, check-posts and guarded by an anti-crash barrier wall, the temple trust is planning to upgrade security with the help of private firms.

Temple officials had a meeting with the police department last week, to step up the security arrangements in the week when US President Barack Obama will be in the country.

The trust has also requested residents of nearby buildings to be on the watch for suspicious people and activities. The city police have also deployed a Quick Response Team and an anti-terror unit at the temple.