Kolkata, July 16 (IANS) Entire Kolkata has been wrapped under blanket security coverage since early Thursday morning on the occasion of the Ratha Yatra festival, with major processions scheduled to be organised in different pockets of the city, the biggest and the most colourful of which is the one by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

Since Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will himself inaugurate the ISKCON procession by pulling the rope of the Rath and also walk for some distance along the procession, special security arrangements have been made for the occasion.

An insider from the Kolkata Police said a total of 2,000 policemen have already been deployed on the streets of Kolkata since early morning, and the deployments are mainly on the roads where the Rath Yatra will start, move through and finally end.

Apart from these 2,000 policemen, Quick Response Teams (QRTs) and Heavy Radio Flying Squad (HRFS) vans have been deployed at strategic locations and junctions to ensure absolute security over the processions. Apart from that, drones are also being used by the city police for aerial surveillance.

As per information available with the city police, more than 80 Ratha Yatra processions are scheduled in the city for the day, and the police administration is not taking chances in its attempts to prevent any unfortunate incident.

The main procession organised by ISKCON will start from the society’s office at Albert Road in central Kolkata and end at the Brigade Parade Ground. It will also move through various areas in both South and Central Kolkata, giving people an opportunity to join the procession.

The Chief Minister will remain present at the beginning of the procession and inaugurate the event by pulling the rope of the Rath. He is also scheduled to walk some distance along with the procession.

From there, he will rush to his native district of East Midnapore and take part in Rath Yatra functions there.

The state government this time has adopted several initiatives concerning the Rath Yatra. The government has decided to provide financial assistance to 60 Rath Yatra committees this year. Each committee is being given Rs 5 lakh. Accordingly, a total grant of Rs 3 crore has been allocated.

The state government claims that this financial assistance will play an important role in better organising the traditional Rath Yatra and related cultural activities in different parts of the state.

–IANS

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