Puri’s ‘Bada Danda’ To Be Declared No-Fly Zone

Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the Rath Yatra festival on July 4, State Director General of Police R. P. Sharma on Wednesday chaired a coordination committee meeting with senior officials from security agencies such as CRPF, BSF, RPF, Coast Guard, Airport Authority of India, Indian Navy and IB.

Key takeaways from the meeting: 

1. NSG will be requested to keep one team in readiness in its Hyderabad hub during the festival.

2. NDRF personnel will be deployed to act in a crisis situation.

3. Ministry of Civil Aviation will be requested to declare Puri Bada Danda and the temple premises as no-fly zones during the festival. No low-flying object such as a chopper, drone camera etc will be allowed to operate in these areas.

4. CRPF to spare two companies of rapid action force during Rath Yatra.

5. The Coast Guard will identify black spots along the sea coast and professional divers, life guards and ambulances will be kept in readiness in these areas.