A robust security plan has been put in place at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district to handle the heavy influx of devotees during the New Year, Inspector General of Police, Jammu, Bhim Sen Tuti, has said.
   He said more than 550 CCTV cameras are keeping a vigil on the yatra track and surrounding areas, with live feeds being monitored round-the-clock from a centralised control room.
   “The control room is jointly manned by the officials of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, J-K Police and central armed paramilitary forces. Alerts generated through the system are responded to immediately,” the Jammu police chief told reporters in Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the shrine.
   The IGP visited Police Station Katra on Saturday and conducted a comprehensive review of the functioning of the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC). He inspected the overall implementation, operational efficiency and real-time monitoring mechanisms of the ICCC, with a focus on its role in strengthening surveillance, coordination and response systems.
   He said the police are focusing on the convergence of technology for effective crowd and security management. “Whether it is CCTV feeds, RFID systems or wireless connectivity, all inputs are integrated at one place for better management of the yatra,” Tuti said.
   Referring to New Year arrangements, he said enhanced measures have been put in place compared to routine days, with several new initiatives introduced this year.
   The IGP said technology-based crowd management, including advanced CCTV data analytics to detect overcrowding and enable timely intervention, which was introduced last year, has been further strengthened.
   Chairing the security review meeting, a police spokesman said the IGP Jammu underscored the importance of continuous capacity building and directed the officers to organise regular and structured training programmes for ICCC staff.
   He emphasised that optimal utilisation of technology and skilled manpower is essential to enhance operational effectiveness, improve response time and ensure seamless monitoring and coordination.
   During the visit, the IGP also interacted with probationer Sub-Inspectors, guiding them on contemporary and technology-enabled policing practices.
    He laid strong emphasis on the effective use of modern technological tools in investigation to ensure timely, transparent and professional handling of cases, in line with evolving policing requirements, the spokesman said.