Muzaffarnagar: Police will deploy AI-powered camera drones as an additional security measure on the Kanwar Yatra route in the Muzaffarnagar district to ensure a safe and peaceful pilgrimage, officials said on Saturday.

The Kanwar Yatra is scheduled to start on July 30 and will conclude on August 11.

SSP Sanjai Kumar said CCTV cameras will be installed in the rural and urban areas falling under the yatra route on the Delhi-Haridwar national highway and Ganga Canal road in the district. The cameras will generate real-time alerts to help police detect suspicious activities and respond swiftly.

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Drone cameras will further provide continuous aerial surveillance, according to the SSP.

He said that about 2,500 CCTV cameras will be installed in the district. All police stations on the Kanwar Yatra route will have representatives from the police, health, electricity and sanitation departments to ensure coordination during an emergency.

Police will also monitor social media platforms to control rumour-mongering.

Kumar said that additional personnel have been sought from the state government to be deployed for the security of the Kanwariyas. All service camps and shivirs will be equipped with CCTV cameras, especially in the kitchen area. Camp workers will have to carry identity cards.

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The district panchayat of Muzaffarnagar has taken a decision to provide adequate lighting and sanitation facilities to the pilgrims.

Panchayat Chairman Virpal Nirval told reporters here that temporary light arrangements will be made using generators on the 55-km canal road at night. Sanitation facilities will help maintain hygienic conditions for the Kanwariyas who gather in Haridwar every year to take a dip in and collect water from the Ganga river in a 'kanwar' and offer it to Lord Shiva.