From drones to CCTV cameras: Ayodhya gears up for grand Ram Temple ceremony

The temple town of Ayodhya was covered with tight, multi-layered security on January 21 as the nation geared up for the consecration ceremony of the grand Ram Temple. Apart from police and special forces, the Uttar Pradesh government has also used technologies like night vision devices and CCTV cameras to monitor activities throughout Ayodhya.

A multi-layer security cover is in place in Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, with 10,000 CCTVs keeping an eye on the movement of people and police personnel in plain clothes deployed at the venue.

From Dharampath and Rampath in Ayodhya, which are witnessing a huge influx of devotees, to bylanes of the Hanumangarhi area and Asharfi Bhavan road, policemen can be seen patrolling the streets.

Police said that security along the Saryu River has also been increased with the help of NDRF and SDRF teams. Surveillance drones are also there to keep track of any possible suspicious activity.

"The 'pran pratishtha' ceremony, which will be held on January 22, is going to be a historic event. For this, the Uttar Pradesh Police has made elaborate security arrangements and along with it, security has been ensured for every road along the entire red zone, yellow zone and Ayodhya district," Director General (DG), Law and Order, Prashant Kumar had recently said.

To ensure better security arrangements at the programme venue in Ayodhya, technology is being used on a large scale.

"For this, 10,000 CCTV cameras have been installed in the entire Ayodhya district. In some of these CCTV cameras, we are using AI-based technology so that we can maintain a strict vigil on commuters," the DG said.

Police personnel with multi-lingual skills will be deployed in plain clothes at the programme venue.

The main ceremony is expected to begin at 12.20 pm and end by 1 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will then address 8,000 guests, including seers and prominent personalities, at the venue. The entire event will be telecast live.

(With PTI inputs)