Vadodara: More than 3,000 police personnel will be deployed across Vadodara on Friday as the city gears up for Ganesh idol immersions. With 11 artificial lakes prepared across different zones for immersion, police have drawn up an elaborate security and crowd-management plan to ensure the process passes off peacefully.Vadodara police commissioner Narsimha Komar said elaborate security and crowd-management arrangements had been finalised after several rounds of meetings with Ganesh mandal organisers and other stakeholders. “Around 30,000 idols have already been immersed and many more will be immersed on Friday. Our forces will be on guard, including at deep points,” Komar said.Around 2,000 city police personnel will be deployed, supported by additional forces from outside the city, including eight DCPs, around 50 police inspectors and nearly 600 police personnel. Four companies of the State Reserve Police (SRP), along with one company each of the BSF and RAF, will also be deployed.Fire brigade teams will be stationed at artificial lakes as a precaution, particularly at immersion points expected to draw large crowds. Police will maintain a close watch on sensitive areas, history-sheeters and suspected troublemakers throughout the day.Authorities have also appealed to citizens not to believe or circulate rumours that could cause unnecessary panic.CCTV cameras, body-worn cameras and drones will be used to monitor sensitive locations, crowd movement and the overall immersion process. DJ music systems have been banned around all artificial lakes, while traffic diversions have been introduced on major roads in the old city to ensure smoother vehicle movement, police said.
