Elaborate security for Diwali in UP

Lucknow, Nov 9: The Uttar Pradesh police has made elaborate security arrangements after an alert has been sounded in the state to prevent any untoward incident during Diwali and Chhat festivals.

Official sources here today said directives have been issued to all the district police chiefs to maintain extra vigil during the festive period.

The state Home department, in a letter to all the district police chiefs, directed them to beef up security in crowded, religious and sensitive areas having history of communal violence.

Police has been asked to keep extra vigil at malls and multiplexes while frisking and checking have been intensified at the railway and bus stations.

The state government has also opened 24-hour control rooms in all the districts to deal with any incident of fire or handle patients with burn injuries.

Meanwhile, the government was importing additional 1000 mw of power from the central power companies for uninterrupted power supply in all the 70 districts during Diwali.

Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) G B Patnaik said the government would supply about 7,000 mw of power during Diwali against the normal daily supply of about 5,200 MW.

To maintain the power supply level for Diwali, the state is purchasing the power at the rate as high as Rs 6 per unit, he said.

UNI