Puri: About 190 platoons of the police force will be deployed for security and crowd management during Suna Besha (golden attire) of the presiding deities of Srimandir on their respective chariots here Wednesday. The deities would appear on golden attire atop their chariots parked in front of the Lion’s Gate (Singhadwar) Wednesday. Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) Pinak Mishra Tuesday said the administration is expecting a footfall of about 15 lakh devotees to witness Suna Besha of the Trinity.
Barricades have been raised from the Municipal Market Square to Lion’s Gate here as part of a crowd management strategy. All the devotees and the visitors will go through the barricades in the queue and after darshan, they will return through Badadanda, the SP said. All the by-lanes connected with Badadanda (Grand Road) will be sealed. This apart, special traffic management will be enforced along all the routes leading to Puri. Vehicle parking places will be regulated and drones will be used to monitor the crowd movement through two integrated control rooms. A three-layer security cover will be laid around the three chariots during the Suna Besha. The SP appealed to the devotees not to bring infants and very old persons to the event. The devotees were also asked not to use their mobile phones near the chariots.