Bomb squads sanitise roads for President’s visit

• 5,485 Cops on Dasara duty
• Police Help Desks to open from Sept. 26 to Oct. 5

Mysore/Mysuru: Two days ahead of President of India Droupadi Murmu’s scheduled visit to inaugurate Dasara 2022 on the morning of Sept. 26, Police teams, bomb squads and drone teams began sanitising roads, bus shelters, culverts and major junctions from this morning.

City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta has formed multiple teams to secure the road from the Mysore Airport to Chamundi Hill and from Chamundi Hill to the Mysore Palace that will witness the VVIP movement. The route from the Airport to Chamundi Hill will be fully sanitised today and tomorrow and teams are adopting technology to fortify the President’s cavalcade route. The 14-km stretch from the Airport to Chamundi Hill on Ooty Road has been divided among senior officers and junior staff for sanitisation, security maintenance and upkeep. Teams with drone cameras are also keeping an eye on security arrangements and they have been told that there must not be any lapse. The fool-proof security arrangements assume significance, as it will be the President’s first visit to Karnataka and the first stop, will be Mysuru.

At Chamundi Hill too, the security blanket has already been thrown and there is stringent checking of all vehicles that are entering and returning from the Hill from its entry and exit points.

The whereabouts and antecedents of the visitors are checked and the storage spaces in their vehicles are screened.

Elaborate security measures

The City Police machinery is geared up to ensure tight security for the President’s visit and also during the Dasara festival. Addressing a press conference at a private hotel, the Police Commissioner, accompanied by DCP (Crime and Traffic) M.S. Geetha Prasanna said that apart from 1,255 Police personnel from Mysuru city, an additional 3,580 personnel from other districts have arrived in Mysuru for Dasara duty along with over 650 Home Guards.

“In all, 5,485 personnel will provide security for Dasara. The full-fledged Mobile Command Centre vehicle will work round-the-clock this Dasara to respond to any emergencies. The Command Centre helps surveillance and the vehicle is equivalent to a thousand eyes,” he said.

Command Centre

“The Command Centre has all the features of a Police Control Room and will be on the move to capture all the action live at all the places where it is stationed. The Centre has 19 cameras including four around the mobile unit, four jacket cameras and a drone camera. In addition, body-worn cameras will be deployed on Policemen all along the procession route. Elevated platforms will be set up at all the Dasara programme venues and Policemen will stand over them and record the proceedings,” Dr. Chandragupta added.

 All CCTV cameras and lights installed inside and outside the Mysore Palace, on Jumboo Savari routes, Torchlight Parade Grounds, Chamundi Hill, prominent city roads, circles and junctions are functioning at optimum level and as an additional security measure, Door Frame Metal Detectors have been installed at venues at Chamundi Hill, Dasara Exhibition Grounds, Wrestling Arena and venues of Food Mela, Yuva Sambhrama, Yuva Dasara, Dasara Sports and Dasara Cultural Programmes.

Dog squads on alert mode

Dog Squad is being pressed into service and the Police have been instructed to keep a hawk-eye vigil on the entry and exit points of the city. “We are ensuring that CCTV cameras installed in hotels, lodges, service apartments, Paying Guest (PG) accommodations, tourist spots and in crowded places such as Bus Stands, Railway Station, theatres, commercial establishments and markets are in working condition and have a recording facility,” he said.

Check-posts have been established on all Highways connecting Mysuru and 24 hours vigil will be kept on all vehicles entering and exiting Mysuru. Rowdies and anti-social elements have been warned and instructions have been given to them to stay away from criminal activities.

VIP information

The Police are also collecting information about the arrival of Dasara guests, VIPs, VVIPs, noted artists and others for Dasara and foreign students staying in city are being monitored.

“We are also preparing to provide security to the Governor, Chief Minister, Union Ministers, High Court and Supreme Court Judges on their arrival to city and also for their smooth movement on city roads,” Dr. Chandragupta said.

“We have written to the District Health Officer (DHO) to keep emergency services, personnel, doctors and paramedical staff to meet any emergencies,” he added.  Police personnel drawn from other districts have been given instructions about their duties and responsibilities, the Commissioner said.

Eight Police Help Desks from 9 am to 10 pm

Eight Police Help Desks will be established to help visitors in providing information about Dasara from Sept. 26 to Oct. 5. The Help Desks will function from 9 am to 10 pm.

The Help Desks will provide information about Dasara programmes, one-way information and parking facilities available. Tourist-friendly brochures will be distributed and they will contain detailed information about Dasara, DOs and DON’Ts.

The eight Police Help Desks will be set up at Jagjivan Ram Circle or City Railway Station Circle (maintained by Mandi Police Station), Palace Varaha Gate and K.R. Circle (maintained by Devaraja Police Station), St. Philomena’s Church, Sub-Urban Bus Stand, Gandhi Square (maintained by Lashkar Police Station) and Mysuru Zoo and Dasara Exhibition Grounds main gate (maintained by Nazarbad Police Station).