Tight security for Mahashivratri in Varanasi

Varanasi, Mar 1 (UNI) Unprecedented security arrangements have been made at the Kashi Vishwanath temple here on the occasion of Mahashivratri festival on March 6.

The District Magistrate Veena Kumari Meena along with senior Superintendent of Police S B Shiradkar and others visited the Kashi Vishswanath temple and Gyanwapi campus to review the security arrangements.

The DM had held a meeting yesterday to check the progress of work and chalk out further plans.

In order to regulate the flow of devotees, she instructed the Public Works Department officials to install proper barricad and electricity department officials were asked to maintain 24 hours uninterrupted power supply in the temple premises and nearby localities from March 4 to 6.

The Municipal department had been given the duty of maintaining cleanliness in the temple premises, while Jal Nigam officials for the arrangement of water tankers.

Lakhs of devotees are expected to throng the city from different parts of the country to pay obeisance to ''Baba Vishswanath'', which is one of the 12 'jyotirlingas'.

The temple being in the hit list of the terrorists, security personnel would be maintaining round-the-clock vigil in and around the temple premises.

The Shiv temples in the sacred city are being decorated and all the vehicular movement on Madagin-- Godowlia road will be restricted completely on March 5.

Besides, extra forces could also be deployed on the day to avoid any untoward incident, S P (city) Rajiv Mehrotra said.

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