Coconut under Scanner

CELEBRATIONS BEGIN: Devotees light lamps on the first day of Navratras at Jhandewalan Mandir on Tuesday; (below) cops carry out checks at Chattarpur Mandir

Devotees have enough reasons to be worried this festive season. Not only they fear more blasts, they are also concerned about the preparedness of temples to tackle huge crowds, especially after Tuesday’s stampede in Chamunda Devi temple near Jodhpur which left over 150 dead. In the wake of call to upgrade security and the unfortunate Jodhpur stampede, Times City visited prominent city temples on Tuesday to do a reality check.

Shakti Peeth Mandir, Chattarpur: With over 1.2 lakh devotees likely to turn up daily at this temple for the nine-day celebrations, the Shakti Peeth Mandir in Chattarpur seems ready to meet the security challenge. JP Pandey, manager, personnel and security, said that though the recent incidents have dampened the festive spirit, he is expecting Delhiites to bounce back during the event. ‘‘Recently we increased the number of CCTVs from 32 to 48. We have also installed 12 door-framed metal detectors and 10 hand-held metal detectors,’’ he said. Stressing that the temple is also well equipped to handle any mishap, Pandey added: ‘‘We have a 24-hour ambulance service and 3 civil defence rescue teams. At least, 46 police-trained guards and 120 civil defence personnel have been posted at the three complexes and parking lots. All offerings, including coconuts, are being scanned by the reserve forces.’’

Jhandewalan Temple: The scene is similar at the Jhandewalan Temple where trained security personnel, connected with walkie-talkies, are keeping a strict vigil. Considering the fact that the temple is visited by around 70,000-80,000 devotees, the authorities have created multiple entry points. Nand Kishore Sethi, media coordinator, said: ‘‘There are two main entry and exit points. However, once inside the temple the queues are branched out for the smooth flow. And to further handle the crowd our 1500 sevadars have also been trained.’’ The authorities have tightened the security measures to the extent of banning the coconuts and even mobilephones. Pandey said: ‘‘At the entry point coconuts will be collected and then returned to the devotees after offering it to the God.’’ However, a police officer said the main entry and exit points remain a problem. ‘‘The shops selling prasad and other items have congested the thoroughfare and in case of any unforeseen event, including hoax calls, we will need to segregate crowds through the public announcement system to avoid any stampede-like situation,’’ he said. Birla Mandir: At Birla Mandir also, security measures have been beefed up. ‘‘After the series of recent unfortunate incidents in the city, we have increased the police deployment in the temple and also requested the police to station a PCR van outside the temple throughout the day,’’ said VK Mishra, a senior member in the temple’s administration department. Mishra added: ‘‘We have also deployed security guards in plain clothes.’’

Kalkaji Mandir: Unlike other temples, security at the crowded Kalkaji temple remains lax. Malfunctioning metal detector, absence of proper checking at the entrance, free entry of vendors and the proximity of the dharmasalas with a link to the main Mandir are some of the concerns. Even the public address system was not functioning properly. But the authorities claim to be well equipped to handle the Navratra rush. ‘‘We have volunteers with walkie-talkies who segregate the devotees at 12 different points,’’ said Deepak Bhardwaj of the temple. Strangely, while there are four entry points, there are only three exit points, including the emergency gate. A police officer said: ‘‘While the Bahai Lotus Temple is secured, the temple can be an easy target.’’