By IANS,
Gandhinagar : Tight security, including surveillance cameras, have been put in place for the annual Tarnetar fair beginning Saturday in western Gujarat and is expected to attract at least 5,000 visitors every day.
Around 300 ‘Meter Range CCTV cameras’ have been installed to keep tabs on the movement of visitors at the fair held near Thangadh town of Surendranagar district in Saurashtra region. A temporary police post has also been set up.
“The temporary police post just outside the venue has been established to check the entry of people. It would also act as a police station that can register FIRs in case of any complaints filed by anybody visiting the fair. The investigation would be carried out by a designated police station in Chotila afterwards,” a senior home department official said.
A total of 1,200 police personnel will be deployed. The fair would also see a bomb disposal squad on duty round the clock.
The venue of the three-day Tarnetar fair is a 14th century Shiva temple located in this region. Monks take a holy dip in the historic tank of the Trineteshwar Mahadev Mandir inside the fair premises.
It also features a rural Olympics, the folk dances of Gujarat, special religious and cultural programmes, a decorative umbrella competition, besides other cultural and religious events.
Last year 59 people were killed and over 100 injured in serial blasts in Ahmedabad, prompting the Gujarat government to step up security for all religious fairs.