As many as 90 platoons of armed police, six quick reaction teams (QRTs), counter squads and Special Operations Group (SOG) jawans would be deployed for the five-day-long Dussehra celebrations in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for smooth conduct of the festival.
Commissioner of Police Dr RP Sharma told reporters here that apart from heavy police deployment as many as 13 close circuit television (CCTV) cameras would be installed along the immersion route to keep a strict watch on antisocial elements.
Notably, the Union Home Ministry has directed all State Governments, including Odisha, to deploy additional security forces in crowded and sensitive places, including markets, religious places, railway stations and bus terminals, which could be targets of militants, during this festive season in view of intelligence inputs of five militants sneaking into India.
The Commissionerate Police have also decided to set up five temporary water bodies for idol immersion in the twin cities as part of the drive to minimise water pollution due to immersion of idols post celebrations.
“We are giving greater emphasis on traffic management and special arrangements have been made for an incident-free festival,” Sharma added.
He also urged Puja Committees to instal CCTVs near their pandals in such a way that it covers a maximum area to put a check on criminals,