Nirbhaya squads to keep an eye on road romeos during Ganesh utsav

Safety of citizens and providing security to women is top on the agenda for cops during the upcoming festive season.

In a bid to ensure safe, peaceful and trouble free celebrations during the 11-day Ganesh Utsav festivities, the Thane (rural) police led by SPDr. Shivaji Rathod arranged a joint meeting comprising representatives from local Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mandal’s and officials from the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) on Friday evening.

Held at Maxus Banquet Hall in Bhayandar, the meeting featured complaints and suggestions from mandal representatives and general public on issues related to traffic, potholes, hooliganism and even the alarming hike in fees to erect pandals. “Apart from drawing an elaborate road map involving micro-level planning for safety and security, plainclothes policemen and our Nirbhaya teams will mingle in the crowd to keep an eye out miscreants trying to cash in on the opportunity to eve tease or molest women.” said Assistant SP Atul Kulkarni.

While Mayor Dimple Mehta, said that road works had been taken up on a war-footing basis and assured that all the potholes on the streets would be filled well ahead of the festivities which begin on September 13, municipal commissioner Balaji Khatgaokar said that the fee issue will be tabled for review before the upcoming general body meeting.

Police officers appealed for round-the-clock vigil by volunteers, separate darshan queues for men and women, ample lighting in and around the periphery of the pandal premises and display of informative banners highlighting the important dos and don’ts to be observed during the festive season. There are around 2,000 big and small Ganeshutsav Mandal’s in the twin-city.