For the first time,the Vadodara police have deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to keep an eye on the Lord Ganesh immersion processions in communally sensitive areas to prevent any untoward incident. But the police are also using the time-tested method of blocking streets leading to the main roads,on which processions move,to keep two communities separate,to prevent any clash. A total 1,827 big and small immersion processions of Lord Ganesha will pass through different parts of the city on Wednesday. At least 13 streets connected to the main road at Panigate and nine at Mitha Falia near Hathikhana in Vadodaras old city area,which are considered communally sensitive,are also blocked on the immersion day. Several processions pass through these areas which have seen communal clashes in the past. City Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said that the UAV has powerful camera that can capture the entire area from above and close-up from 200 metres. He said that the exercise of segregating people from two communities was also good from security point of view. Even locals request us for the same to ensure that no disturbance is done, he said. At least 1,500 policemen and 2,530 home guards apart from eight battalion of State Reserve Police and two battalions of Rapid Action Force have been called in to enhance security measures. We have 1,827 pandals registered with us,but the actual number may go sharply up. As many as 656 statues are immersed in Sursagar lake,while several other statues will be immersed in other lakes in and around the city, Sharma said. Hanif Memon,a shopkeeper who lives at Rajpara-ni-Pol in Vadodaras old city area near Mandvi Gate,says the street joining the main road is blocked at night before the day when the immersion processions pass,and is removed only the next night,causing difficulty. In Surat too,extra police forces have been requisitioned from neighbouring districts to control any untoward incident on the day. Around 35,000 small and big Ganesh idols will be immersed on the day,police said. Surat Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthaana said,We will be constantly monitoring the entire procession and our police officials will videograph the event from different destinations.
