Bhubaneswar: Police have intensified night patrolling at various places for the upcoming Independence Day parade here. The police have also started inspection of various hotels in the city to identify suspicious elements.

Police stations of the twin cities have been asked to perform night blocking and thorough search of vehicles plying during night hours. "Hotels and lodges have been asked to submit the incumbency list with the concerned police stations. Commuters must carry their identity proofs while venturing out in night," said a senior police officer.

An anti-sabotage team along with a sniffer dog squad will be deployed for anti-explosive checks at various strategic locations in the city - including Baramunda bus terminal, railway station and Biju Patnaik Airport. The police will keep a tab on the movement of vehicles from Nakhara, Uttara Square, Nandankanan, Pokhariput-Jatni Road. The cops will also keep a strict vigil on strategic locations in the city including Lingaraj Temple, Nandankanan Zoo and Khandagiri hills.

"Around 30 platoons of police personnel - along with 150 police officers and Odisha Swift Action Force - will be deployed on Mahatma Gandhi Marg on parade day," said deputy police commissioner Anup Sahoo.

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) have also beefed up the security at the Bhubaneswar railway station. The luggage of visitors are being scanned by scanners. "We have also deployed our men in plain clothes to keep a tab on suspicious people. CCTV footages are also being examined regularly," said an ECoR official.