1100 cops, CCTVs: Security tightened for Baisakhi fair

1100 cops, CCTVs: Security tightened for Baisakhi fair
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Talwandi Sabo, April 12
Sparing no efforts, the district administration has made proper arrangements to ensure that the forthcoming Baisakhi fair, to be held at Talwandi Sabo on April 14, passes off peacefully. The Takht Damdama Sahib area has been bisected into six sectors, where six Block Development Officers (BDOs) and duty magistrates would be deputed.
The administration has called up 16 duty magistrates many of whom are from Mansa and Faridkot districts. At least one duty magistrate will be posted at each conference venue, at the helipad and inside and outside the gurudwara. One duty magistrate will be deputed at the Gurudwara Budha Dal.
For the convenience of visitors, the public health department has installed around 500 temporary toilets and urinals on a make-shift basis. Officials of the market committee and executive officers would be deputed as supervisers.
Keeping the warm weather in consideration, around 200 temporary connections for taps have been made to ensure drinking water supply for those asembled there. In addition to that, about 40 drinking water stalls would be set up by the market committee.
During the fair, a team from the health department will be deployed in each section while nine mobile health teams will also be doing the rounds. Further, there will be four fire-tenders and three recovery vans to deal with any untoward incident that may take place.
To ensure proper security, around 30 CCTV cameras have been installed in all nook and cranny of the gurudwara.
The much-hyped idea of introducing the balloon spy camera was, however, damaged by the storm on Friday night. Now, a camera has been installed at some height, that will keep an eye over the whole gurudwara campus.
Giving details, SSP Naunihal Singh said, “Around 1,100 policemen have been called up for the security arrangements. DSPs and SPs have been called up from other districts of the state also.”
About uprooting barricades, Avtar Singh, president of the SGPC, who was on a visit to Madhya Pradesh, said over the phone, “There was some resentment among the SGPC members over the tight security arrangements, which they lodged with me. I therefore requested the administration to remove the ‘irritating’ tall barricades on the path leading to the Takht Sahib. As they were concerned about VIP security, I told them to keep an entry solely for the VIPs.”
Mela officer, SDM Anil Garg, further said, “The SAD political conference will be held inside the gurudwara campus at the Diwan hall, while four other conferences, including that of the Congress, will be arranged on plots granted by the SGPC within the Takht Sahib premises. But the conference of the SAD (A) has been arranged opposite the bus stand.”