WATCH: Pune Police & Metro Conduct Armed Emergency Mock Drill At Mandai Ahead Of Ganeshotsav

Pune: The Pune Police and Pune Metro conducted a mock drill at Mahatma Phule Mandai Metro Station ahead of Ganeshotsav to test their response to an emergency involving armed men. A video of the exercise has gone viral on social media. It shows men carrying guns running through the area as security personnel respond to the simulated emergency.

The drill was held to assess the preparedness of the police and metro authorities and their ability to respond quickly to a serious security situation. It also tested coordination between the two agencies during an emergency. Officials have not indicated that the exercise was linked to any actual threat. It was a preparedness drill ahead of the city's major festival season.

Mandai among key crowd points during Ganeshotsav

The location of the drill is significant as Mandai is in central Pune and close to several areas that see heavy footfall during Ganeshotsav.

Pune is expected to witness large crowds during the festival, with more than 3,000 Ganesh mandals across the city. Police have been focusing on crowd management, traffic regulation and maintaining law and order during the celebrations.

Police have also directed local police stations to coordinate with Ganesh mandals on security and crowd-management arrangements.

Major immersion routes such as Laxmi Road and Tilak Road are expected to see large crowds. Police have said that safe and smooth movement of processions and preventing crowd-related incidents will be among their priorities.

Metro stations also being prepared for festival rush

Mahatma Phule Mandai Metro Station has already been identified as a crowd-management point during major festivals.

During Dahi Handi celebrations on September 5, Pune Metro temporarily changed the entry and exit arrangements at the station. One gate was kept for entry and another for exit from 6 am to 11 pm to manage the expected rush.

The latest mock drill tested how authorities would deal with an emergency in such a crowded public transport location.

The exercise comes as Pune Police have stepped up preventive measures for the festival period. Preventive police action has been in place from September 1 to 14, covering the main Ganeshotsav period.

Focus also on noise and traffic

Security is not the only concern for authorities during the festival. Traffic and noise management are also major challenges due to the large number of processions and gatherings.

Pune Police have imposed restrictions and made arrangements for major roads and immersion routes to ensure the movement of people and processions remains smooth.

The police have also capped festival sound systems at four bass and four top speakers. Loudspeakers will be permitted until midnight on five specified days of Ganeshotsav.

The Mandai drill is part of the wider preparedness effort as police and other agencies prepare for large crowds across central Pune during the festival.