Jaipur, Oct. 31 -- The Rajasthan home department has proposed a series of enhanced security measures at the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer, aimed at improving monitoring and removing encroachments at the popular site of worship, which witnesses the annual footfall of thousands of pilgrims and tourists from across the country and abroad, officials concerned said on Thursday. According to state home department secretary Mahendra Khinchi, the proposal includes expansion of the entry and exit gates and the linking of its CCTV cameras to a centre that monitors public safety across the state, as well as the removal of encroachments and apprehension of suspected undocumented migrants. The proposal was based on discussions with the shrine's management, the Ajmer district collector, superintendent of police, the intelligence unit, and the state minority affairs department, said Khinchi, adding, "It aims to ensure a safer passage for pilgrims throughout the year, and also better monitoring of the historic site." A second home department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the shrine had eight gateways, including the primary Nizam Gate built in 1915. Two gates among these have been identified as being of insufficient size and slated for expansion to avoid any stampede-like situation, the official added. He added that the proposed linkage of the CCTV cameras to the statewide surveillance centre known as Abhay Command Centre would boost public monitoring and crowd control. ""Abhay Command Centre is a specialised high-tech control room that uses video surveillance, real-time data, and other advanced technology for better surveillance, mob control, traffic management, and crime detection," he said. The proposal was currently under consideration by the Centre, said Khinchi. Through the statutory Dargah committee, the Centre oversees the management of the shrine. Khinchi added that the proposal also aimed to implement the Union home ministry's directions to probe the presence of suspected undocumented immigrants in the shrine's vicinity. According to the state police and home department, a majority of the suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants detained in Rajasthan were found in Ajmer, amid a drive to identify and detain undocumented immigrants in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states, even as West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress alleged that the drive was being used to target Bengali-speaking people. "Ajmer municipality is conducting another survey in the area. It has removed several encroachments. Recently, an eviction drive was conducted in the Taragarh forest area adjacent to the shrine. Nearly 250 shops were removed. More such drives will clear the area, making it safer," the second official said. The department has also recommended a waiting room for pilgrims, repairs on the drainage systems, and a fire safety audit at the site, the second official said. Meanwhile, the minority affairs department has proposed the allocation of a sum of Rs.96 crore for the development of the shrine, said Khinchi. The shrine is currently tied up in ongoing litigation that began on November 27, 2024, after Hindu Sena leader Vishnu Gupta moved a Rajasthan court claiming a temple existed under its central mausoleum and sought worship rights at the site. Gupta also submitted a memorandum requesting a survey of the shrine by the Archaeological Survey of India, the latest in a series of such pleas related to Muslim places of worship. In 2007, three pilgrims were killed and 15 were injured in a blast at the shrine....