Vadodara: Anupam Singh Gehlot, who took charge as the police commissioner of Vadodara on Friday, said that his priority will be on maintaining communal harmony in the city. Gehlot took over the charge from outing police commissioner Manoj Sashidhar after a brief meet. Sashidhar briefed Gehlot about city’s several issues along with the Ganesh festival that is celebrated with fervour in the city.“My priority is to maintain communal harmony in the city. It will be a challenge to ensure peace, especially, during the festive season. We will try to build confidence among different communities. Also, we will go after the mischief mongers who usually cause trouble that lead to riots,” Gehlot told TOI. Gehlot added that the police won’t spare those who shelter history-sheeters or trouble mongers.When asked about the decision to not allow Ganesh idol immersions in Sursagar Lake, Gehlot said that he will discuss the issue with municipal commissioner Ajay Bhadoo.“We don’t want to disturb the religious sentiments. So we will convince Ganesh pandal organizers to not immerse the idols in Sursagar,” Gehlot said. The newly-appointed police chief also wants to focus on traffic issues in the city. “We will increase presence of traffic cops on the busy roads to ensure smooth flow of vehicles,” Gehlot said.Gehlot, a 1997-batch IPS officer, was posted as Rajkot police commissioner before being transferred to Vadodara. “We will also keep a close watch on the social media and act against those spreading rumours to cause trouble,” Gehlot said and added that he will also act on the burglaries and vehicle thefts that are rampant in the city.

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