Puri: Police personnel on Friday conducted a mock drill to prepare for the pulling of the chariots during the upcoming world-famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and His siblings.
Using ropes police personnel pulled a van at the Police Lines Ground here as a mock exercise for the Rath Yatra.
The pilgrim town of Puri will be under a security blanket and CCTV surveillance for the Rath Yatra.
As many as 180 platoons of police personnel shall be deployed for Rath Yatra. The Bada Danda (Grand Road) has been divided into six zones. This year AI (artificial intelligence) and CCTV cameras will be deployed during Rath Yatra.
Three companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF), two companies of CRPF and eight SOG teams will remain in charge of the cordons around the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.
On the day of Shree Gundicha Yatra, devotees will be barred from darshan in the Shree Jagannath Temple. Also, Pahandi Darshan by devotees has been banned this year. These restrictions have been imposed to expedite the completion of rituals on time as Naba Joubana Yatra (Ubha Yatra) and Shree Gundicha Yatra (onward journey of Rath Yatra) fall on the same day.
Two ADGP rank officers along with Commandants and DIG rank officers will be deployed for the Rath Yatra.
“With deep self-confidence, we are fully prepared and ready to serve the Mahaprabhu. We are ready to face the challenges with the help of previous experience, application of new technology and techniques,” said Sanjay Kumar, Additional DGP, Law & Order.
