The Vadodara city police on Thursday conducted a rehearsal march ahead of the upcoming 44th Rath Yatra on Friday, turning the city into a fortress with more than 3,000 policemen and high-definition drone cameras deployed to track the movement of participants and for crowd management.

The Rath Yatra, dedicated to Lord Jagannath, will start from the railway station and conclude at the Baroda High School in Bagikhana.

Vadodara City Police Commissioner Narasimha Komar said apart from the police personnel, volunteers and representatives of ISKCON temple will also join to coordinate the smooth passage of the Rath (chariot) through the city areas.

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While over 70 police personnel will be equipped with body worn cameras, along the seven-kilometre route of the Rath Yatra, the police have also marked strategically placed CCTV cameras of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation to keep a hawk eye on the proceedings.

Komar said that the entire route of the Yatra will also be monitored through cameras installed on the front and back of a vehicle. “Monitoring will be done from ground and the sky, for which three drone cameras have been deployed. The police will also use GPS to track the yatra. Traffic diversions have been notified in order to ensure better movement…”

The yatra is expected to start at 1pm and conclude at 9pm.

The city police will deploy more than 3,000 police personnel, including nine DCPs, 13 ACPs, more than 100 Police Inspectors, Police Sub-inspectors and around 600 traffic personnel and traffic brigade personnel, and over 1,000 police personnel, along with three companies of SRP (State Reserve Police) besides another 1,000 home guards.