15,000 cops deployed for Ganesh festival

HYDERABAD: With the Ganesh Chaturthi commencing from Thursday, the twin cities will be put under a heavy security blanket with deployment of over more than 15,000 police personnel to prevent untoward incidents.According to police, a few bomb disposal and access control teams, equipped with door-frame and hand-held metal detectors, deep search mine detectors and explosive vapour detectors will be deployed to ensure tight security. A special security strategy has also been worked out for final procession and immersion of nearly 40,000 idols on September 9 in Hussain Sagar. Thirty-five static cranes would be used for immersion of idols. The organisers have been advised to post at least six to 10 volunteers at each Ganesh pandal.More than 12,000 Ganesha idols have been installed across the twin cities. As the procession has been marred by communal violence in sensitive parts of the city in the past, police have made elaborate arrangements. With the festival coinciding with Ramadan and in view of recent blasts, police are maintaining a tight vigil.All wings of city police would be involved in security arrangements while management committees of temples and organisers of Ganesh pandals would sensitised on security to ensure smooth conduct of the festival.  In Hyderabad alone, six superintendent of police rank officers, 15 additional SPs, 77 DSPs, 135 inspectors, 500 SIs, 300 head constables, 4,000 police constables, about 2700 Home Guards, 40 armed reserve platoons and 120 woman police constables will be deployed. “The bandobust will be in place from Thursday till the final immersion. About 20 companies of para-military forces will also be part of the bandobust,” a police official said.  Meanwhile, the Cyberabad police commissioner Dwaraka Tirumala Rao convened a meeting with pandal organisers on the eve of the festival. The commissioner said the issue of permission being given by police is not a new arrangement and it is going on since inception of the Cyberabad Commissionerate in 2003. As per Rule 7 of the Cyberabad Police Act, public meetings, processions and public gatherings are prohibited without obtaining prior permission of the divisional assistant commissioners of police, zonal deputy commissioners of police or commissioner. He said organisers have been asked to provide volunteers at the pandal during night to avoid any untoward incidents.