I have contributed to construction of Ram Temple, will visit someday: K'taka Cong Minister Hebbalkar
Udupi: Karnataka Women and Child Welfare Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar emphasized that the upcoming consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22 is not associated with any political party but belongs to the entire population of India, totaling 140 crore people.
During her visit to Udupi town for the Paryaya celebrations at the Shri Krishna Mutt, Hebbalkar, who is also the Udupi District In-charge Minister, spoke to reporters on Wednesday. She stated, "I personally have a deep devotion to God and adhere to the principles of my religion. I have contributed to the construction of the temple in Ayodhya and plan to visit the new Ram Temple someday. The temple is the heritage of Indian citizens and does not belong to any single party or organization."
However, Hebbalkar declined to comment on the decision of Congress leaders to skip the consecration ceremony. When asked about BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde's recent derogatory remarks about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Hebbalkar condemned the use of such language for political gain, calling it unacceptable and intolerable.
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Regarding Congress member Yathindra Siddaramaiah's statement about Siddaramaiah retaining the CM post for five years if the party secures a higher number of seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Hebbalkar expressed ignorance about Yathindra's intentions and deferred to the Party High Command for further clarification.
Responding to a reporter's question about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's road shows for election campaigns, Hebbalkar mentioned that road shows are a regular and normal feature in politics, and the Congress also conducts such events. She criticized Karnataka's Parliamentarians for not addressing the state's issues of floods, drought, and GST-related problems.
Hebbalkar noted the absence of a tableau from Karnataka in the Republic Day celebrations and suggested that the people of the state have already determined how to respond to this perceived neglect.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
