LeT ‘plot’: All alert in Puri

by Express News Service - BHUBANESWAR

28th June 2012 12:20 PM

http://newindianexpress.com/states/orissa/article553110.ece

A day after Assam DGP Jayanta Narayan Choudhury sounded an alert over probable LeT threat to Odisha, the State Government swung into action and beefed up security measures at Puri. The nine-day Rath Yatra is slated to conclude on Friday with Bahuda.

Security was heightened at the 12th century Sri Jagannath temple while DRDO defence establishments in Balasore tightened the arrangements. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the State Police has strengthened the measures and is prepared to meet the challenges.

The Jagannath temple has been subjected to three-tier security with bomb disposal and anti-sabotage teams pressed in the vicinity of the shrine. Public must intimate about any suspicious movement, Puri Police said.

At least four units of dog squads and bomb disposal squads each were pressed in and around the shrine while the beach was kept under strict surveillance.

“One of the major challenges for the police in the pilgrim town is keeping a tab on stray vehicles, given the unregulated nature of parkings. That will now come under strict checking,” senior police officials said.

In view of Rath Yatra, the Puri Police has already created parking lots at Zilla School, SCS College, Girls School, Baliapanda and Talabania areas. It was gearing up to scan the unorganised parking lots. More policemen were deployed at all the entry points for checking vehicles entering the town. All the hotels and lodges in the City were being subjected to fresh checks while a close surveillance was kept on foreign nationals.

Since the pulling of chariots is over, the inflow of pilgrims to the town as well as the temple has thinned down. However, police were in no mood to leave anything to chance since ‘Bahuda Yatra’ too draws a large number of devotees.

Sources pointed out that the Assam DGP’s input was the same which the State Police had received a few days before the Rath Yatra. “It was a general input, but nothing is being taken lightly,” sources said.