If the talks between Mumbai Police and the Railways succeeds then, for the first time ever, there would be trains running 24 hours in order to avoid overcrowding in the city.
If the talks between Mumbai Police and the Railways succeeds then, for the first time ever, there would be trains running 24 hours in order to avoid overcrowding in the city during the 10-day Ganpati festival.
“We found out that more than 28 lakh people visited Lalbaugcha Raja, the most famous mandal, last year. Usually, during Ganpati, the city gets more crowded at night, particularly for the period when there is no train service,” joint commissioner of police (law and order) Himanshu Roy told DNA.
“This time, we have requested railway officials to run trains throughout the night, so that people coming to the city from the distant suburbs could go back to home.”
He added that with Ganeshotsav and Ramzaan coinciding this year, and the assembly elections coming up as well, there would be a heightened risk of terror.
“Earlier, our focus used to be on controlling vehicular traffic and managing the crowds. But this time, we will have to more vigilant to avert terrorist activities,” said Roy, who has recently taken charge of Law and Order, replacing KL Prasad.
“Security will be tightened at iconic temples like Siddhivinayak and major Ganpati mandals. We have also appealed to the mandals to make provisions for arranging their own security.”
Personnel from Home Guards, RSP, volunteers and NGOs will assist the police in screening devotees, ensuring smooth traffic flow and managing crowds. Closed-circuit TV cameras and metal detectors will be installed at all major Ganpati mandals.
“Bomb disposal squads will also be on the alert. The protection and security branch of police has made a presentation, which will be shown to the mandals to help them beef up security,” Roy said.
Came for ‘Ganpati donation’, robbed cash, jewellery
Two unidentified persons, pretending to collect donations for Ganeshotsav, allegedly looted Rs35,000 in cash and gold ornaments worth over Rs1 lakh from the Shivaji Park apartment of real estate agent Sunil Choudhary on Wednesday.
The duo, aged between 30 and 35 years, came armed with knife and revolver, said the police. Around 4.30pm, they rang the doorbell of Flat No. 15 in Aparna Vaibhav Apartments, near D’Silva Caterning College. Choudhary’s mother, Randevi, 61, wife and eight-year-old daughter were inside. Telling them that they had come to collect donations for Ganpati, the two gained entry. Immediately, they brought out their arms. Warning the occupants not to raise alarm, they gagged their mouth and tied them up, looted cash and valuables and calmly made their escape.
Choudhary’s daughter managed to free herself as the assailants hadn’t trussed her up tightly. She then untied her mother and grandmother. Choudhary’s wife called up Shivaji Park police station to report the incident. Senior inspector Mahadeo Gundewadi said a case of robbery was registered and a manhunt launched to nab the culprits.
With inputs from Dayanand Kamath
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