Ghaziabad: Ahead of kanwar yatra, police are setting up 14 watchtowers and 56 temporary police booths along the kanwar routes in the district. The yatra will begin on July 30, with Sawan Shivratri being observed on Aug 12. Police expect more than 50 lakh pilgrims will travel to Haridwar from Delhi-NCR this year.Additional CP Raj Karan Nayyar said that 4,500 police personnel and 750 traffic police officers will be deployed across the district. A total of 157 kanwar beats have also been created to up security along the routes, with sub-inspectors appointed as beat in charge to coordinate the four constables/head constables deployed in each beat.Pilgrims use three routes to reach Haridwar. Those travelling on foot largely use the Pipeline Road between Loni border and Niwari, while a significant number take NH-34 via GT Road. Combined, the routes span 150 km in Ghaziabad.The main kanwar path will span 36km from Muradnagar to Tila Mod (Ganga Canal Road and Pipeline Road), and 42.5km from Kadarabad border in Ghaziabad to Delhi border, with the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and NH-9 serving as alternative routes.A total of 1,255 CCTV cameras have also been installed along the three routes, with a camera installed every 500 metres to cover all camps. “We are making one main control room at the Ghaziabad commissionerate office while 12 sub-control rooms will be built at different locations,” the additional CP said.Additionally, 11 zonal magistrates, 24 sector magistrates and NDRF teams have been deployed. A total of 1,550 police mitras will be deployed, including personnel from the civil defence, district volunteer force and the traffic volunteer force, with all personnel carrying their respective identity cards. Two police mitras will be deployed at each camp to assist the police in maintaining safety precautions, crowd control, traffic management and emergency situations.The fire department has set up 12 temporary fire stations for emergencies and six fire bikes will also be deployed.Chief fire officer Rahul Pal said the camps will be equipped with 200-litre water drums, at least four fire extinguishers and sand buckets. Fire officials have been instructed to ensure that wires in the camp are placed inside conduit pipes and connections are properly insulated.On Tuesday, senior police officers from Ghaziabad, Delhi, Noida, Hapur, Meerut, Baghpat and Bulandshahr conducted a coordination meeting in Ghaziabad to discuss traffic and law and order.At the meeting, a WhatsApp group to coordinate during emergency situations was greenlit. The group will include senior gazetted police officers from neighbouring districts, including Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida and other areas.“At all border areas, the police from both districts will be present, and if they need extra manpower, other district police will help each other without wasting time. To implement this decision on the ground, a nodal officer will also be present at the border,” a senior police officer said.
