Ahmedabad: The 147th edition of the annual Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra or chariot procession will take place in Ahmedabad on July 7 and more than 18,000 security personnel will be deployed to guard the religious event which draws lakhs of devotees, officials said on Wednesday.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed the preparedness of the police department for the mega religious event at a meeting, an official release said.
Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi and Director General of Police Vikas Sahay were among those who attended the review meeting.
During the meet, Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police GS Malik made an elaborate presentation on various security aspects of the Rath Yatra, said the release.
Malik informed the CM that as many as 18,784 security personnel, including Inspector General of Police (IG)-rank officers, will be deployed on the 16km route in Ahmedabad for the 147th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath.
Of these, 4,500 personnel will walk with the procession on the entire route while 1,931 personnel will be deployed for traffic management, said the release.
Senior police officials will keep a close watch on the procession using 1,733 body-worn cameras linked to a control room. Besides, 20 drones and 96 surveillance cameras have been installed at 47 locations on the route.
Moreover, nearly 1,400 CCTV cameras installed by shopkeepers on the route will also be used for live surveillance, said the release.
To address any medical emergency, 16 ambulances and medical teams at five government-run hospitals will remain on stand-by. Also, 17 help desks will be set up on the entire route to help citizens, it said.
As per the decades-old tradition, the procession, led by chariots, would start early at around 7 am from the 400-year-old Lord Jagannath temple in Jamalpur area and return by 8 pm after traversing different localities in the Old City, including some communally sensitive areas.
The procession usually consists of 18 decorated elephants, 100 trucks and 30 'akhadas' (local gymnasiums). The raths (chariots) of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra will be pulled by Khalashi community members as per the age-old tradition.
Lakhs of people gather on both sides of the route to have a glimpse of the deities. PTI PJT RSY