Elaborate security arrangements are in place for the four-month Ardhakumbh mela in Haridwar with 15 companies of the central paramilitary forces deployed in the fair area, besides an aerial vigil on sensitive and crowded ghats.
Uttarakhand DGP B S Sidhu informed this here today during an inter-state meeting with the officials of police force, railways and central security agencies in the mela control room.
Sindhu reviewed the security preparations for the event and laid emphasis on the better coordination between the security personnel and the officials.
The mela began on January 1 with an average of one lakh people taking a dip in the Ganga everyday. The proper event will be formally declared open on January 12 by Chief Minister Harish Rawat at a ceremony in Haridwar.
Sidhu said that a vigil has been stepped up along the ghats with CCTV cameras installed throughout the mela area and checking has been intensified.
Mobile escorts besides additional security personnel are being deployed in trains coming to Haridwar to keep a watch and deal with any emergency, he said.
15 companies of the central para-military forces including the CRPF, CISF, RAF and ITBP have been deployed in the mela area, he said.
Arrangements have also been made for periodic aerial vigilance by drones of the most crowded ghats like the Har Ki Pauri to keep a tab on dubious elements identified by the security forces, state and local intelligence units, the DGP said after the meeting.
Patrolling along Uttarakhand's borders with Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have been intensified for security reasons, he said.
The first snan of the Ardhakumbh is scheduled to take place on January 14 on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, which will be followed by nine ritual baths on auspicious dates spread over a period of four months till April when the event draws to a close.
