JOIN USPower fence to guard royal palace in Mysore
Though the 99-year-old palace is nestled inside the massive walls of the fort, power fencing is being put all around the palace at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore.
The idea behind the power fence is to provide fool-proof security to the Palace of the erstwhile rulers of the Mysore, which will celebrate 100 years next year.
The decision to power fence the 2.5 km-long fort area was taken following recommendations from the city police authorities.
Although, the armed guards patrol the palace round-the-clock, police still felt the need for power fence to check any elements entering the palace premises during night. The security is more tight during Dasara festival.
According to police, the Mysore Palace is on the radar of many terrorist outfits as thousands of tourists visit here any given day. The rush is more during holidays and vacations.
Although, nothing has happened in the past, police authorities are in no mood to take a chance. “The Palace Board is spending Rs 1.25 crore on power fencing and the work has been entrusted to the Electronics Corporation of India (ECI), a Government of India firm based in New Delhi,” said P V Avaradi, deputy director of the Palace Board.
Explaining the features of the power fencing, Parashivamurthy, assistant executive engineer of the board who is also in-charge of electrical installations of the palace, told Deccan Herald that 220 volts power will be supplied to the fence but the wattage varies from 60-80 watts. The entire 2.5 km of the fort is divided into eight zones with a panel at every 250 meters.
“The security is high where they (police) feel it is required and low in other places. Anybody who tries to cross the fence will experience shock and alarm starts ringing at the control room that is being set up at a vantage position,” he said.
The control room which will function round-the-clock will get automatic signal if anybody tries to scale the fort and enter the palace, he added. The staff at the control room then immediately alert the security personnel who in turn will rush to the spot for inspection, Parashivamurthy said.
Uninterrupted power will be supplied to the fence.Besides, the palace has a generator which will start automatically in case of a power failure. The wiring work is in progress and is expected to be completed by the end of this month, he added.