Bhubaneswar: Stepping up the security measures for Assembly and Lok Sabha polls scheduled for May 25 here, the Commissionerate Police Wednesday said that 12 CAPF personnel would be deployed in each of the 152 critical booths in the City.
Addressing the media here, Twin City police commissioner Sanjeeb Panda said two software applications- police patrolling and booth monitoring system (PPBMS) and vehicle tracking system (VTS) — would keep a strict vigil on the security situation in polling booths, and send timely updates to the control room. Besides, these applications would help supervising officers get immediate booth-level information and reach booths through the shortest route, he added.
Alongside, 525 sensitive booths out of 1,132, which fall under five Assembly seats (Jayadev, Central, North, Ekamra and Jatni), would be web casted during the polling, the top cop said. Panda added that three DCPrank officers, five additional DCP-rank officers, 35 inspectors, 293 SIs and 12 companies of CAPF would be deployed across polling booths in the City.
To prevent instances of poll violence, additional CAPFs would be deployed in cluster locations of four booths, said Panda, adding that 421 Sakhi booths would see the exclusive deployment of women police personnel. Elaborating more about the security arrangement, Panda said, “A total of 51 mobile parties have been constituted for immediate assistance. Each of the mobile parties would be supervised by one ACP.
Besides, one additional DCP would supervise the security arrangement of one Assembly constituency. Moreover, five contingency units have been roped in for rescue, evacuation and hospitalisation of polling staff.” Panda added that one unified control room would function from Police Seva Bhavan under the supervision of additional DCP, and two adhoc control rooms will operate from BJB (Autonomous) College and Panchagaon village under Airfield police limits.
DEBADURLLAV HARICHANDAN, OP