Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): The entire security system of Mahakaleshwar Temple and Shri Mahakal Mahalok will be handed over to the Home Guard department in the coming days. For this, about 500 new Home Guard jawans will also be recruited soon.

Regarding the security arrangements of Mahakal, a meeting was organised by Home Guard and SDERF DIG Manish Agrawal in the Mahakal Temple Control Room on Thursday. The DIG visited Mahalok, including Mahakal Temple and reviewed the security arrangements by inspecting the main entrance of the temple premises, other entry points, parking area, VIP entry point, and Mansarovar Gate.

He issued instructions to make the darshan system ideal, which mainly included minimising the response time, making it easy for devotees to have darshan, and conducting mock drills from time to time in the temple for various disasters such as stampedes, and fire, so that in case of disaster, a timely response can be given and loss of life can be prevented.

He said that the SOP and security plan should be prepared as per the new construction in the temple premises, better coordination should be made between various agencies by making Mahakal temple control room more effective, there should be a clear division of work between the officers and employees working in the temple so that individual responsibility of each employee can be fixed.

Route charts should be put up at various places for the devotees coming for darshan so that they do not have to wander in the premises. Agrawal said that before deploying the soldiers on duty, they should be made to visit the entire temple premises, so that they can become well acquainted with the temple premises.

While deploying the force, the peak hour should be kept in mind, so that more force is available in the temple premises at that time. Along with this, the temple should be divided into various zones zone in-charges should be appointed and security updates should be taken from the control room every hour.

It was also suggested that some small customised trolleys should be made, in which the mobiles of the visitors can be deposited and they can be taken to the exit gate together so that the mobiles can be given to the concerned from there.

Divisional commandant Rohitash Pathak, district commandant Santosh Kumar Jat, Mahakaleshwar Temple Management Committee’s assistant administrator Moolchand Junwal and Mahakal Temple security in-charge platoon commander Hemlata Patidar were among those present in the meeting.