Chandigarh [India], December 25 : With the annual Shaheedi Sabha to commemorate the martyrdom of Chhote Sahibzadas commenced at Fatehgarh Sahib, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Thursday paid obeisance at the holy place and personally reviewed the multi-layered security and traffic management plan to ensure the smooth, secure and orderly conduct of the religious congregation.
The three-day annual Shaheedi Sabha to pay homage to Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, the youngest sons of the 10th Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh, has commenced at Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib from Thursday.
The DGP, accompanied by DIG Ropar Range Nanak Singh and SSP Fatehgarh Sahib Shubham Aggarwal, reviewed the arrangements put in place for the peaceful conduct of the religious congregation.
Interacting with the media, DGP Gaurav Yadav informed that the entire area has been systematically divided into six sectors and a force of over 3400 police personnel, under the supervision of six SP rank officers and 24 DSP rank officers, has been deployed to ensure foolproof security throughout the event.
"Our foremost duty is to ensure the safety, comfort and smooth movement of the sangat. Punjab Police is performing this responsibility as sewa and will guide and facilitate the devotees with humility and dedication," said the DGP. He added that police personnel have been instructed to adopt a courteous and people-friendly approach while remaining vigilant and committed to duty.
Highlighting initiatives undertaken this year to ensure hassle-free and smooth passage to devotees coming from across the country and abroad, DGP Gaurav Yadav stated that several measures have been implemented by the Fatehgarh Sahib Police to prevent inconvenience to pilgrims.
He informed that no vehicle zone has been earmarked in the 200 meters radius of Gurdwara Sahib and 22 parking locations have been designated, with e-rickshaw, auto and shuttle bus services arranged to ferry devotees from parking areas to the Gurdwara Sahib. To facilitate seamless traffic management, Punjab Police has collaborated with Google for real-time geo-tagging of parking locations, while directional signboards have been installed at strategic points, he added.
For effective monitoring and surveillance, six drones and around 300 hi-tech CCTV cameras have been deployed to oversee crowd movement, traffic flow and parking areas, besides maintaining a strict vigil on anti-social elements.
The DGP said that six integrated help desks, providing police assistance, medical aid and fire services, have been set up for the convenience of devotees. In addition, an integrated control room, public assistance kiosks, special contingency response teams, and 24x7 surveillance through social media monitoring, special branch and intelligence inputs have been activated to prevent any untoward incident.