They will be joined by 400 other men and women, including three security groups as well as NGO volunteers, to ensure the security of devotees
The Police and Traffic department are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the security of lakhs of devotees who will go to the Mahalaxmi temple during the nine-day festival of Navratri, which starts tomorrow. Around 500 police personnel, both men and women, will be appointed at different junctions in the area.
Apart from the Mumbai police, NGO volunteers and three security groups trained by the Maharashtra State Security Corporation will also provide security at the temple. File pic
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Apart from the Mumbai police, three security groups trained by the Maharashtra State Security Corporation will also provide security, said Additional Commissioner of Police, Krishna Prakash. “We have done everything to ensure security at the temple is at its best, keeping in mind crowd control, traffic management, and also by focusing on anti-terror measures,” he said.
An NGO has also extended support for security at the temple. Its volunteers have been appointed with due verification and will be trained by police officials, he added. So apart from the police, there will be 400 other people for security purposes, and they will work in shifts.
Sharadchandra Padhaye, manager, Mahalaxmi Temple Trust, said, “We have made all the possible security arrangements for the devotees. Extra police force will be deployed, extra CCTV cameras have been installed, bomb detection squad and dog squads will be there.
The flower vendors have strictly been told not to use metal pooja thalis in order to avoid beeps when the devotees pass through the door frame metal detectors (DFMD).”
Other arrangements
Along with barricades near the temple, there will be other arrangements by the traffic police and Gamdevi police station to combat problems related to crowd management, which ultimately result in major traffic snarls.
The Gamdevi police station has made arrangements to ensure that the devotees walk into the temple from one footpath and leave the temple from its other end, to reduce crowding.
“Twenty five traffic police constables will also be appointed along with the two traffic officers in the area to avoid traffic snarls. We will divert traffic as per the density,” said Tardeo Traffic Police Inspector, T S Surulkar.
It is advisable for commuters to use alternative routes on Tuesday, Friday, Sunday and on Thursday the day of Ashtami, since more devotees are expected to visit the temple on these days, he added.
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