Quick Reaction Team for Jagannath Temple

Bhubaneswar, May 27 (UNI) To counter possible terrorist attack on the famous 12th century Jagannath Temple in Puri, the Orissa government has decided to deploy one platoon of Quick Reaction Team (QRT) in the shrine.

A high level meeting on the security of important shrines in the state, chaired by Director General of Police Amarananda Patnnaik, took the decision to strengthen the security arrangements in and around the Jagannath temple.

Puri Superintendent of Police Asit Kumar Panigrahi told newspersons here the QRT would be ready for any eventuality.

He said the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Orissa police had been asked to prepare an Internal Security Plan (ISP) for the Jagannath temple in view of growing threat to the shrines in the country from militants.

The recommendations of the IB and the Orissa Police on the ISP would be implemented and the Temple management agreed to bear the expenditure for the new security arrangements.

Mr Panigrahi said presently, two platoons of police force, headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police, had been deployed in and around the Jagannath temple and the entire security arrangement was completely supervised by him.

He said armed police with sophisticated weapons had been manning the four gates where metal detectors had been installed to check the visitors entering into the temple.

Besides, four watch towers would be constructed on each of the four gates of the temple.

The state government, he added, had provided a sniffer dog squad for detection of bombs, which would be pressed into service in case of any emergency.

The temple management, he informed, had already installed 16 close circuit cameras both inside and outside the temple to keep a close watch on the movement of the visitors.

UNI