Udupi district will witness the installation of 492 Ganesh idols this September, and the district police have arranged extensive security measures to keep the celebrations peaceful, District Superintendent of Police Hariram Shanker said.
Out of the total sites, 415 are classified as normal, 74 as sensitive and three as highly sensitive. Immersion ceremonies are scheduled between September 14 and September 29, with specific numbers for each day: 211 idols on the 14th, 108 on the 15th, 114 on the 16th, 13 on the 17th, 29 on the 18th, four on the 19th, five on the 20th, one each on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th, two on the 25th, one on the 26th and two on the 29th. No immersions are planned for September 21, 27 and 28.
Police have identified procession routes and immersion points within the jurisdiction of each police station. Special surveillance will be active in the sensitive and highly sensitive zones. To foster community cooperation, 22 peace‑committee meetings have been conducted across the district, involving local leaders, festival committees and residents.
Preventive action this year targets 611 individuals, while 487 persons have been bound over. A total of 996 police personnel, including three ASPs/DSPs, seven Circle Inspectors, 37 Sub‑Inspectors, 83 Assistant Sub‑Inspectors, 680 Head Constables, women police, 20 DAR staff, three KSRP units and 163 Home Guards, are on duty for law‑and‑order and traffic management. The deployment is supplemented by 12 public‑address systems and three drones.
SP Hariram Shanker appealed to the public and festival organizers to follow designated routes, avoid provocative slogans and cooperate with authorities to ensure an orderly celebration that respects communal harmony and traffic flow.
Image for illustration purposes only
📰 Source: Mangalorean News