Varanasi: A multi-layered, technology-driven security blanket spanning land, water and air will safeguard lakhs of devotees visiting Kashi during the holy month of Shrawan, with authorities deploying drones, artificial intelligence, geo-fencing and face-recognition systems to secure the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the kanwar route.Police commissioner Mohit Agarwal said advanced technology will play a key role in the Shrawan security plan. The Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple premises have been geo-fenced, and any unauthorised drone attempting to enter the restricted zone will be immediately neutralised through the anti-drone system. Flying private drones without permission will remain completely prohibited during the month.Security arrangements will include surveillance across land, water and air. Restricted areas, including the temple premises, have been placed under a virtual security ring through geo-fencing. The entire city and temple zone will be monitored round the clock using drones, tethered drones, anti-drone systems, artificial intelligence, face-recognition cameras and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems.According to Agarwal, 10 drones available with the Varanasi Commissionerate will monitor the route, the temple premises, major ghats, traffic movement and crowd management. In addition, two tethered drones will be deployed at strategic locations to provide continuous live feed 24 hours a day.These tethered drones can monitor an area of up to four kilometres from a height of nearly 400 metres. They will help identify suspicious persons or activities, especially individuals remaining at one place for an unusually long time, and immediately alert the control room for swift action by security agencies.AI-enabled surveillance will also be used extensively across the city. Automatic number plate recognition cameras installed at city borders will identify vehicles, while face-recognition cameras at major crossings and sensitive locations will help detect suspicious persons. Data related to criminals, wanted persons and suspicious vehicles has already been fed into the system to enable immediate detection of any threat.CCTV surveillance has been ensured at 45 major crossings and tri-junctions across the city. Cameras installed from city entry points to the entire Kanwar route, along with more than 2,575 CCTV cameras connected to the Kashi Integrated Command and Control Centre, will be monitored round the clock through live feeds.At the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple control room, 315 CCTV cameras will continuously track the temple premises, darshan queues and the movement of devotees. If required, quick instructions will be issued from the control room to manage crowd flow effectively.Public address systems across the city will also be used from the command centre to broadcast information related to traffic and crowd management.The government aims to provide every devotee visiting Baba Vishwanath during Shrawan with a safe, organised and smooth religious experience through a coordinated security mechanism combining modern technology with traditional policing.
