Vadodara: Security in the city has been beefed up ahead of the Ganesh festivals that will take off on Thursday. The police have brought in additional forces from other cities to ensure that peace prevails during the 10-day Ganesh festival and Tazia processions. City police commissioner, Anupam Singh Gahlaut said that they have done analysis of all the Ganesh immersion routes in the sensitive areas.“On the basis of the analysis, we will be deploying security in the communally sensitive areas. The cops will patrol not just lanes adjacent to the road but also inner by-lanes. The idea is to prevent any trouble during the immersion processions,” said Gahlaut. The police will use nearly 400 CCTVs to monitor the Ganesh immersion routes. While the seven police stations that fall in old city areas already have 200 operational CCTVs, 150 more cameras will be deployed on the day of immersion along with mobile cameras.The police said that it has given permission to 1,930 Ganesh pandals but the total number of idols that will be immersed in different areas of the city will be around 5,000. On seventh day, 250 big Ganesh idols will be immersed while on the 11th day 1,500 idols will be immersed. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) have made artificial ponds at four different locations in the city including the one at Navlakhi that is the biggest of all.The devotees will have to take the Akota-Dandia Bazaar Road to reach the artificial pond in Navlakhi. Another 27 natural water bodies too will be used for Ganesh idol immersions and a total of 43 cranes will be deployed. DJ system won’t be allowed in Navlakhi to ensure that the Ganesh idols are immersed quickly. “To prevent any trouble, we have arrested thousands of anti-social elements who have earlier been accused in communal violence cases. While 28 of them have been detained under Prevention of Anti-Social Act (PASA), 22 have been externed,” Gahlaut added.The police is also taking extra measures as Muharram will also be celebrated amid the Ganesh festival. “We have talked with the community leaders and they have promised to make necessary adjustments to ensure that both festivals are celebrated peacefully,” Gahlaut added.

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