Police told to serve Dasara devotees with patience and discipline

Vijayawada: NTR District Police Commissioner SV Rajasekhar Babu has directed police personnel deployed for the 10-day Dasara Sarannavaratri festivities at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri to discharge their duties with discipline, patience and a service-oriented approach.

Addressing police officers and personnel from various districts at a briefing session at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada on Saturday, he issued instructions on security arrangements, crowd management and traffic regulation for the festivities scheduled from October 11 to 20.

Around 3,130 police personnel have been deployed to ensure safety of devotees visiting Kanaka Durga Temple. The arrangements also cover Vijayawada Utsav 2.0 and national SARAS Ajeevika Mela at Punnami Ghat. The Commissioner instructed personnel to remain calm, courteous and approachable while assisting devotees. Police personnel were asked to carry whistles, use recorded voice announcements through megaphones to guide devotees, and coordinate closely with temple staff, priests and officials of other departments.

The Commissioner said AI-powered cameras, drones, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems and digital twin technology would be used to monitor queues, parking areas and passenger movement. A control room equipped with nearly 30 dashboards would facilitate real-time surveillance. Around 40 parking points and three holding centres have been arranged.

He clarified that parking would not be permitted near Om Turning. Vehicles with valid passes may proceed to the designated drop-off point, drop passengers and return downhill. Vehicles holding both drop-off and pick-up passes must also leave after dropping passengers and return later to pick them up. Parking near Om Turning is strictly prohibited.

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