Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi on Tuesday inspected the route of the 145th Rath Yatra which will be held in Ahmedabad on July 1. He reached the Jagannath temple here and inspected the 22 km route along with mahant Dilipdas.

They inspected the entire route, accompanied by a police convoy, senior police officials, including the IGP and the SP.

Local MLA Imran Khedawala and other Muslim representatives, including the president of the Jamalpur Traders Association, welcomed Harsh Sanghvi and Mahant with garlands, giving a message of unity. Preparations for the Jagannath Yatra are in full swing under tight police security.

The 145th Rathyatra, which will depart from the Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad on July 1, will this year use various equipment for vigilance as well as micro-planning on various aspects of the security. With guidance from the Home Minister an impregnable security arrangement will be made which will set an example for all other religious places in the country.

The contingent will have about 25,000 police and security officers of various ranks. Helicopters as well as drones will be used to provide impenetrable security in the sky. The ground will be monitored by high resolution CCTV cameras at 46 fixed locations and moving vehicles. At least 2,500 personnel equipped with bodyworn cameras will be deployed in the procession. The police will keep an eye on the movements of everyone in the sensitive area.

The rathyatra will pass through 7 police station areas on a pre-planned route. Apart from the chariots of Lord Jagannath, brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra and 101 decorated trucks will be the part of the procession. These trucks will be checked for anti-sabotage — so that the truck does not contain any lethal weapons or other harmful materials. One police van will be deployed after every 10 trucks and live tracking of vehicles will be done using GPS.

Adequate arrangements have also been made for continuous communication during the Rathyatra. VHF will continue to communicate on a total of 16 channels of wireless walkie-talkies. Mini control rooms will be set up in Karanj, Madhavpura, Shaherkotda, Khadia, Shahpur, Gaikwad Haveli, Kalupur and Dariapur police stations.

The city police will also enlist the help of locals to keep a close eye on social media including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp so that no anti social element tries to spoil the atmosphere of friendship and brotherhood. If a person’s suspicious activity is detected on social media, it will be immediately investigated by getting his IP address. Various cyber crime teams will maintain social media surveillance with the help of special software. The police department also plans to make extensive use of human intelligence for security.