Shirdi Temple - Issues Related to Devotee's Security

I had visited temple and observed that:-

1. There are two hall and each hall has been divided into eight lanes by affixing steel frames so that the devotees move in single file formation and do not cause congestion;
2. The ceremonies being conducted with in temple are being shown to the devotees through close circuit TV’s;
3. The arrangement of supply of bottled mineral water has been made in both the halls;
4. There is an arrangement of sale of tea, coffee, ice-cream to the devotees at a concessional rate.
5. It has been observed that the devotees while waiting for darshan of the Shri Saibaba purchase tea/coffee, ice cream and throw the plastic cups, sticks, bottles and wrappers below the benches thus the whole premises are spoiled and give a dirty look;
6. During the entire Darshan procedure that took about 2.30 hours on that day there were only two guards each in both the halls one at the beginning of the hall and another at the end of the hall where the devotees enter into another hall.
7. There were about 2000 devotees at any point of time being Sunday;
8. Unfortunately no Cops are present in the hall to control jumping of queues by the devotees;
9. The only cop present in the main hall was adding to the chaos by directing the devotees to throng and create mess in front puja sthall;
10. There are no boards all along the route that may help the devotees to move in any direction other than in which they are moving;
11. There is no provision of public address system or surveillance through cameras installed within hall;
12. In entire temple precincts there are no indication boards i.e. for collection of Vibhooti, cracking of coconut offering the Shawl and mukut.
13. No exit direction boards have fixed in and around temple area so that the devotees can take the particular route.

Thus it is in the interest of the temple authorities and the devotees that the following arrangements are made without any delay keeping in view the terrorist attacks on places of worship in India:-

a) The direction boards for guiding the devotees towards temple, emergency exit and exit points should be affixed at the earliest;
b) There should be atleast four to five guides/Guards and Cops specially trained in handling massive crowds and emergency situations should be deployed in the hall;
c) The public address system and the surveillance through cameras should be put in place immediately without any delay;
d) The sale of bottled water, ice-cream, coffee and tea should be banned with immediate effect on one hand so as to minimize the use of plastic that leads to pollution, accumulation of garbage inside temple and also to minimize the threat perception by terrorist organizations and antisocial elements who can play havoc with the lives of devotees in the garb of vendors or by supplying contaminated stuff. . You may please install water coolers for dispensing water to the devotees;
e) The direction boards to help and guide the devotees may be affixed so that the devotees are not stranded and do not have to depend on others.

Therefore in view of the aforesaid and continuing threat perception against religious institutions it is requested that immediate remedial steps be taken by the temple Trust.