BHUBANESWAR: Around 25 platoons of police will be deployed in and around the 11th century Lingaraj temple here on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri on Monday. Addressing the preparatory meeting for Maha Shivaratri on the premises of the Lingaraj police station, Police Commissioner B K Sharma on Saturday said elaborate security arrangements would be made for the festival. Barricades have already been put up to ensure orderly queues for darshan of the deity in the temple. With lakhs of devotees expected to visit the temple on the day, police have decided on better traffic management. More number of women police personnel and traffic personnel would be deployed around the temple and a special anti-snatching squad was formed to take care of chain snatching cases.The chief executive of temple administration, Abani Patnaik, said the temple administration along with the sevayats have finalised the timetable of the rituals to be performed on Maha Shivaratri.“The temple will open at 3 am and the first ‘aalati’ will be held at 3.30 am. The temple will remain open from 4 am to 11 am for the devotees for darshan, which is called Shahanmela. Rituals will be performed till 3 pm. The mahadeep will be taken atop the temple between 9.30 pm and 10 pm,” said Patnaik.The temple administration would put up 14 close circuit cameras and large screens to keep a vigil on the crowd movement and entry of non-Hindus into the temple. The administration plans to provide mobile toilets and drinking water facilities for devotees.Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said sanitation workers will be available round-the-clock from Sunday evening till Tuesday morning to keep the temple periphery spick and span. Cleaning of the temple premises will be undertaken by ASI. “BMC has already repaired the defunct streetlights in the area and the Bhajan Mandap on the temple complex. Besides, ` 60,000 has been provided to the temple administration for conducting rituals and organising bhajan samarohs on the occasion,” he said. The MLAs of North, Middle and Ekamra and heads of the three sevayat nijogs were present at the meeting.
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