Ayodhya- As grand temple to lord Ram opens on Monday in Ayodhya a multi-layer security cover is in place for the consecration ceremony, with 10,000 CCTV cameras and drones equipped with artificial intelligence keeping an eye on the movement of people and police personnel in plain clothes deployed at the venue.
The construction of the temple is a 35-year-old, central promise of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a contentious political issue that helped catapult the party to prominence and power.
The temple has been built on a 2.67-acre site inside a 70-acre complex and only its first phase is ready. The second and final phase is expected to be completed in December 2025.
“The Lord has made me an instrument to represent all the people of India during the consecration,” Prime Minister Modi said on X as he began 11 days of special rituals ahead of the inauguration.
Calling it a “historic moment” when Lord Ram will take his place in his grand temple, Modi has urged Indians to light lamps in their homes and neighbourhood temples on Monday evening and once again celebrate Diwali, which usually falls in October-November.
From Dharam Path and Ram Path here, which are witnessing a huge influx of devotees, to bylanes of the Hanumangarhi area and Asharfi Bhavan road, policemen can be seen patrolling the streets.
Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) personnel had also conducted patrolling in Ayodhya on Saturday.
“Ayodhya is now under the watchful eye of drones equipped with artificial intelligence, alongside the utilisation of anti-mine drones, as part of the concerted efforts to enhance security in the temple town,” a senior police official said.
While AI-supported drones are conducting aerial surveillance across Ayodhya, anti-mine drones are simultaneously inspecting the ground for mines or explosives, he said.
Operating at a height of one metre above the ground, the anti-mine drones are equipped with advanced technology like spectrometer wavelength detection for detecting underground explosives, the official said.
Movable barriers with barbed wires attached to them can be spotted almost at every prominent crossing in the city, as policemen use them to regulate traffic especially during VVIP movements.
“The ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony, which will be held on Monday, is going to be a historic event. For this, the Uttar Pradesh Police has made elaborate security arrangements and along with it, security has been ensured for every road along the entire red zone, yellow zone and Ayodhya district,” Director General (DG), Law and Order, Prashant Kumar had recently said.
To ensure better security arrangements at the programme venue in Ayodhya, technology is being used on a large scale.
“For this, 10,000 CCTV cameras have been installed in the entire Ayodhya district. In some of these CCTV cameras, we are using AI-based technology so that we can maintain a strict vigil on commuters,” the DG said.
Police personnel with multi-lingual skills will be deployed in plain clothes at the programme venue.
The senior police official also said the security along the Saryu river has also been increased with the help of NDRF and SDRF teams.
“We are coordinating with other agencies. Checking is going on at the international and inter-state borders. Police will use drones for crowd control and for diversion of excess crowd,” he had said.
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