Varanasi Police has now strengthened security arrangements for the ongoing Kashi Tamil Sangamam by deploying a modern fleet of advanced drones and also by increasing overall vigilance at key locations.
The cultural event has also attracted thousands of visitors every day, including delegates from Tamil Nadu, students, artists and tourists.
Because of the large crowd movement and also due to the importance of the festival, the police have now created a detailed plan to maintain safety without disturbing the flow of activities.
For this year’s event, the biggest upgrade is the use of a special group of mini, micro and nano drones. These drones are also designed to fly easily over crowded places, various narrow lanes and also the ghats.
A dedicated ten-member drone team manages these devices around the clock. Their main responsibility is also to keep a constant watch over NaMo Ghat, the nearby ghats and also the entire stretch of the Ganga river where visitors gather in large numbers.
The live video have also received from these drones helps the police officers detect any unusual activity, crowd pressure or emergency situations quickly.
Ground security has also now been increased. Nearly two thousand police personnel, home guard teams and disaster response units are placed across the event area.
The purpose is to ensure smooth movement of all the people and to make sure that there is full safety during cultural programs, exhibitions and also for public gatherings. Special attention is given to VIP routes because many political leaders and important guests visit the venue during the event.
Since the festival is held near the river, water security is also an important part of the plan. For this, the police have placed speed boats on continuous patrol in the Ganga.
These boats would help monitor river traffic and would also prevent any unsafe movement of private boats. This reduces the chance of overcrowding on the water and ensures that visitors travelling by boat remain safe. Rescue teams are also kept ready in case any emergency arises.
The new drone-based monitoring system also gives the police a clear aerial view, which was not possible earlier.
It also allows them to observe crowd movement patterns, identify the congested spots and also respond faster. The combination of the overall surveillance, river patrol and ground teams creates a complete safety network for the festival area.
Visitors attending Kashi Tamil Sangamam can also thus expect a disciplined but friendly security environment. Police personnel are helping and guiding people, managing long queues and are also ensuring that important locations do not get overcrowded.
The system also helps protect all the cultural performers, the students and also the senior guests who participate in various programs throughout the day.
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