Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to request the ministry of home affairs to provide at least two companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) for deployment during the annual rath yatra in Puri.

The rath yatra will be held on July 14 this year.

"The MHA will be requested to spare two companies of RAF for deployment in the rath yatra," Odisha director-general of police R.P. Sharma said after a preliminary preparatory meeting.

Sharma said three companies (one company consists of 800 to 1,000 personnel) of the Odisha Swift Action Force (OSAF) will be deployed on the Grand Road in Puri in front of the Jagannath temple during the festival for effective crowd management.

It was decided at the meeting to have an inter-security agency coordination meeting shortly involving the NSG to chalk out the plan and programme for the festival, Sharma said.

In view of the security threat during the festival, Odisha police have also decided to install more number of CCTVs on the Grand Road and at other strategic locations of Puri during the festival period for better surveillance on the crowd movement.

Special emphasis will be given for the safety and security of women during the festival, the official said, adding that adequate number of police personnel in civil dress would be deployed on the day of rath yatra and also on the return car festival day.

A mock drill will be carried out just before the festival involving all the security forces to make the arrangement error free, an official said.

Elaborate arrangements will be made for the inland and coastal security, manpower and force requirements, material and gadget requirement and other logistics.