Revellers gear up, police take position

NASHIK: The city police have identified some areas as "sensitive" and decided to keep a strict vigil by deploying patrolling teams in an attempt to curb eve-teasing and provide safer environment for citizens during Navaratra.
Sharing details about their plan, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1) Laxmikant Patil said. "Police will have sufficient personnel to keep a watch on mischief mongers during the festival.The Nirbhaya van will also be moving throughout the city to check whether women and girls are safe."
Patil said in his zone alone - comprising Gangapur Road, Mumbai Naka, Bhadrakali, Sarkarwada, Mhasrool, Sarkarwada, Panchavati and Adgaon police stations - there would be around 200 home guards, 450 police constables and 50 senior officers would keep a check in different parts of the area.
According to the officials, last year there were a total of 182 Navaratra mandals in Zone 1. Out of these, 71 were big mandals and the remaining 111 were small mandals. "Navaratra mandals are still taking police permission. However, the number of mandals celebrating the festival and the number of places where dandiya and garba will be played would be about the same as last year and the arrangements have been planned accordingly."
"We have started holding meetings with members of different mandals, informing them about adhering to the deadline of playing music and also taking up the responsibility of crowd management and security of the idol among other preventive measures," said a police officer.
He added that though security of women is top priority during the festival, it is up to the concerned mandals to see that they deploy volunteers to keep a check on eve-teasing.
The police would also conduct anti-sabotage checks of garba and dandiya pandals where huge crowds were expected to watch Ramleelas and other cultural programmes.
Additional force at temple
Keeping in mind the huge rush of devotees that gather at the Kalika temple during Navaratra every year, the city police have decided to deploy a bandobast of 5 police inspectors, 10 API, 70 constables and 80 lady constables along with home guards in and around the temple during the nine days of the festival.
Officials said that the number of devotees increases with every passing day. "Th0e maximum concentration of the traffic cops will be on the road towards the temple from the Mahamarg bus stand, followed by the road from SardaCircle and Panchavati," said a police officer.
He added that devotees come to the temple from 4am to 10am and again from 4pm to 1am and police would be deployed at the Kalika temple during the said hours. Devotees will be asked to park their vehicles on the road opposite Suyash Hospital near Mumbai Naka, the Gurudwara area on Shingada Talav, the ND Patel Road and towards the Golf Club Ground