As President Pranab Mukherjee arrives in Kangra on Sunday to pay obeisance at famous Baglamukhi temple, the district police have thrown a tight security cordon around the shrine and the stretch which he will travel by road.
Mukherjee will be on a day-long visit to Himachal attending second convocation of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Kamand in Mandi, followed by a short visit to the Baglamukhi temple to offer prayers.
Kangra additional superintendent of police (ASP) Shiv Kumar said that 1,000 police personnel would spread at the 22-kilometer stretch, which the President will cover by road and at Bankhandi where the shrine is located.
The President's chopper will land at the Sapri helipad in the Shastra Seema Bal (SSB) training center at 1:30 pm, from where he will travel to the temple by road.
"Twenty gezetted officers will remain on duty commanding a particular section assigned to them," informed the ASP.
Police have also chalked out a tangible traffic plan for the region. Kumar said, "Jawalmukhi to Bankhandi road will remain closed for traffic during the VIP movement."
The traffic coming from Una side will be diverted to National Highway 88 through Nehranpukhar- Suneht, while the vehicles on the national highway coming from Nadaun side will be sidetracked to Amba Ghatta -Sapri link.
{{/usCountry}}The traffic coming from Una side will be diverted to National Highway 88 through Nehranpukhar- Suneht, while the vehicles on the national highway coming from Nadaun side will be sidetracked to Amba Ghatta -Sapri link.
{{/usCountry}}Traffic in the Bankhandi- Dehra area will be diverted through Pragpur- Chamba Pattan for the convenience of locals.
"While the President is at temple, the traffic on all the restricted roads will be restored to normal for a while," he added.
As a contingency plan a team of police and a chopper will remain standby at Gaggal Airport near Kangra town.
The nearby hospital will remain alert for any kind of medical emergency. At a distance of around 42 km from the district headquarters Dharamsala, the Baglamukhi temple is believed to be that of the Mahabharata era. It is very famous among politicians, celebrities and players, who often pay a visit to the temple to offer special prayers.
Goddess Baglamukhi is worshipped to ward of enemies and evil spirits. The President is likely to stay at the temple for over half an hour.