Elaborate deployment of police personnel and video recording through CCTV cameras, body-worn and drone cameras are part of the heightened security measures that will be in place for the ten-day Dasara festival, which will kick off on September 26 with the inauguration by President Droupadi Murmu.
Briefing reporters in Mysuru on Saturday, City Police Commissioner Chandragupta said 24-hour video recording will be available for the authorities from not only the 59 CCTV cameras permanently installed at traffic junctions in the city and the 110 installed along the route of procession from Mysuru Palace to the Torch Light Parade Grounds in Bannimantap, but also the 13,140 CCTV cameras installed by the general public under the Karnataka Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Act 2017.
A Mobile Command Centre bus equipped with CCTV cameras, body-worn cameras, long distance videography and photography will be used for the Dasara festival. All the police personnel deployed at the entry points of Mysuru Palace and Bannimantap will be equipped with body-worn cameras. The video footage from those cameras will be recorded at the Mobile Command Centre, he said.
Drone camera surveillance will also be in place at all Dasara programme venues, Mr. Chandragupta said.
A total of 5,485 police personnel including 1,255 from Mysuru city, 3,580 from different districts and 650 Home Guards will be deployed across the city as part of Dasara security arrangements.
At vantage points in the city and at venues of Dasara programmes, police personnel holding megaphones will be posted on raised platforms to monitor crowd movement and enforce discipline.
Police help desks
Police help desks have been set up at 8 places in the city to assist the tourists by providing them with information relating to Dasara programmes, traffic restrictions, one way rules, parking etc. The police personnel manning the help desks will also help the general public with other complaints by directing them to the concerned police station, he added.
The police help desks will operate from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on all days from September 26 to October 5. The police help desks will function at Jagjivan Ram Circle near City Railway Station, Varaha Gate of Mysuru Palace, KR Circle, St Philomena’s Church, Rural Bus Stand, Gandhi Square, Mysuru Zoo and main entrance of Dasara Exhibition.
Lodges
The police will also keep a vigil on guests checking into lodges by carrying out surprise checks. The managements of lodges have also been informed about the security measures that will be in place during the Dasara festival.
The police will conduct surprise checks and use a fingerprint scanner to find out if any guests have been involved in any criminal cases in the past.
