Volunteers, metal detectors, drones: Ghazipur gears up for farmers’ tractor parade

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 25

Even as confusion persists on what route the tractor parade will take on Tuesday, the volunteer group that is catering to the protesting farmers has made elaborate arrangements to ensure that the event remains uneventful.

Over 5,000 volunteers, drones, metal detectors and authorised participation slip to tractors are some of the ways that the volunteers have devised to contain any untoward incident or breakdown on the rally route.

As per the original route, tractors are to start from UP Gate and move towards Ghazipur after crossing Anand Vihar, Seemapuri and Mohan Nagar. The cavalcade will join the Kundli-Meerut-Palwal Expressway at Duhai and then return to their protest site in Ghazipur.

The entire route has been broken down into 12 zones, where volunteers will be present to regulate traffic or to help if any of the vehicles break down.

No tractor will be allowed to exit on this route until the cavalcade reaches Duhai. Four teams of volunteers have been provided with the metal detectors to check the tractors for firearms.

“We have to ensure that everything goes as per our plan. These volunteers have been trained while we have recruited around 2,500 for the tractor parade only,” Bhartiya Kisan Union (Tikait) activist Dharmendra Malik said.

“We have also decided to not allow anyone to join the parade if they don’t have a participation slip. No one will be allowed to halt and water will be provided for the moving tractors,” he added.

The volunteer group has also called in the drones to keep an eye on the parade besides filming the entire length of the parade.

“We also have a group of volunteers to operate the drones. Three teams will operate five drones for security purposes. The drones will also record the tractor parade. It is needed so that we can keep an eye on everything,” Malik said.

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