Mumbai, July 31, 2013: In the wake of recent terror alerts, Ganesha mandals have demanded walking patrolling by police – an old style that has been missing for past several years – during Ganeshotsav. 

In view of large public gathering during the 10-day festival, mandals have demanded police commissioner Satyapal Singh to ensure proper implementation of this style of functioning. Last year, Singh had ordered staffers ranking from constables to deputy commissioner of police (DCPs) to ensure they walk in their areas of jurisdiction early in the day. However, that was not followed, mandals claim. 

“If the commissioner gives orders in this regard again and ensures that his words are followed, we can have a safe Ganeshotsav. We are going to place this demand before him,” Naresh Dahibawkar, chief of Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samnvay Samiti, demanded.

Dahibawkar said mandals have been appointing their teams of Gan Sevaks (volunteers) to ensure safety at pandals. “Besides deploying volunteers, big mandals afford to install CCTV cameras to enhance vigilance, but small mandals can’t. Hence, apart from their volunteers, they are dependent on cops to provide security. If the policemen take care of patrolling in areas around pandals, it is going to work. When you locate a policeman on street or any other public place, it works as deterrent factor for miscreants,” he added. Out of the total 10,400 mandals, 6,500 are major,while remaining are small-size pandals. 

According to samiti members, around 2-3 lakh devotees visit major pandals over the first week of the festival. Following immersion of five-day Ganesha idols, the number goes up to 7-8 lakh, they claim. 

According to police, walking patrolling used to be aimed at increasing dialogues amongst cops, mandal members and local residents. It included policemen fanning out areas for an hour at least in a day. “This would create a feeling of safety amongst people. When a senior officer shuns his official vehicle and goes for a walk in his/her jurisdiction, it obviously sends right message across subordinates,” an official said, requesting anonymity. Despite several attempts, Singh remained unavailable for his version.

Source: DNA, July 31, 2013