Overview
- District officials held a security briefing on Thursday at Ram Katha Park that ordered use of drones, CCTV and a control-room to coordinate police, local bodies and volunteers.
- The festival formally began on Thursday with 1.51 lakh diyas lit on the Gomti riverbanks at Maa Kamakhya Dham while Moradabad staged a parallel event that lit five lakh lamps.
- Authorities said NSG commandos and the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad will maintain a heightened vigil as organisers run a trial Aarti and prepare rehearsals for planned drone and laser shows.
- Artisans from Kolkata and Kanpur reported the Ram chariot is about 80 percent complete and tableaux at KS Saket PG College are being finalised with themes such as 'Viksit Bharat 2047' and development projects.
- Local leaders and the Nagar Panchayat credited wide volunteer involvement for the scale of the event and organisers hope the mix of ritual and technology will draw younger visitors and shape Ayodhya's Diwali tourism profile.