Mysuru: In order to ensure peaceful Dasara celebrations, elaborate security arrangements are being made across the city.

For the annual Dasara which will begin from Sept. 21, the Police are expecting lakhs of tourists not only from across the State and country but also from foreign countries.

In the wake of last year’s blast at Court premises and violence that broke over Cauvery water dispute, security has been beefed up across the city, Police sources said.

Over 4,500 Policemen are being summoned from outside Karnataka and the first batch is likely to arrive in Mysuru on Sept. 20 (tomorrow). The second batch is expected on Sept. 27, two days before the grand Dasara procession.

In the first batch, over 1,337 Policemen will arrive and they include forces from all the zones — central, south, north, east, west, north-east and Ballari zone. The force composition includes seven Dy.SPs, 35 Inspectors, 287 Traffic Police, 32 men from District Armed Reserve (DAR) and City Armed Reserve (CAR) and Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP). Police sources said that apart from forces from outside Karnataka, Mysuru has its own Police force and it will be utilised effectively to man the crowds.

This time, the celebrations are not restricted to the Central Business District as the festivities are being held at places near Lalitha Mahal Palace (Aahara Mela) and the forces have to be extra cautious in controlling the crowd, sources added.

The Jumboo Savari will be watched by more than six lakh people and providing security cover for such a large congregation on a single day is a tremendous task. A lot of planning and efforts will have to go into ensuring safe Dasara celebrations.

This time, the Police are planning to introduce strict enforcement of traffic rules and detections ahead of the festivities.

The arrangements were technology-intensive and there will be strict surveillance on the procession route using CCTV cameras and deployment of unmanned aerial vehicle for monitoring suspicious elements.

Apart from the top layer of security, the Police are planning to set up anti-sabotage squads, bomb detection and disposal squad and deep-search metal detectors at key tourist places including Mysore Palace.