Pimpri-Chinchwad police have deployed 2,780 officers and personnel along with 602 home guards for Ganesh visarjan processions on Anant Chaturdashi, with drones, CCTV systems and specialised response teams planned for crowded and sensitive locations across the city.
The security arrangement covers major procession routes, busy junctions, immersion points and other areas where crowds are expected to gather. Senior police officers, police personnel, the State Reserve Police Force, bomb detection and disposal squads, riot control teams and special striking units will be involved in the deployment.
According to the report, 1,398 Ganesh mandals within the Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissionerate limits are expected to take out immersion processions. The police have also recorded plans for the immersion of 68,996 household Ganesh idols during the festival operation.
The police have made separate arrangements for crowd management, law and order and traffic regulation. Additional personnel will be deployed at major procession routes and sensitive locations, while manpower may be increased at places where crowds grow beyond the expected levels.
CCTV cameras and other available technical systems will be used to monitor movement at important junctions, sensitive points and crowded areas. Police teams have been instructed to respond quickly if suspicious activity is detected, according to the report.
Traffic restrictions have also been announced for several parts of Pimpri-Chinchwad because of the processions. Vehicle entry will be prohibited on procession routes, and motorists have been advised to use alternative roads. Restrictions will also apply to the movement of heavy vehicles in affected areas.
The arrangements place a significant operational burden on the police and the city’s traffic-management system, as multiple public processions and household immersions are scheduled across the commissionerate at the same time. Residents travelling through procession corridors have been asked to account for diversions and access restrictions while the immersion activity is underway.
