Key Takeaways
- Over 16,000 police personnel will be deployed for Kaanum Pongal security in Chennai to ensure a safe experience for the large crowds expected at Marina beach.
- Police personnel will be manning the entire stretch of Kamarajar Salai on the Marina beach to prevent overcrowding.
- Temporary mini control rooms and police booths will be set up on all avenue roads leading to Marin on the beach stretch to maintain tight vigil.
Chennai: More than 15,000 police personnel would be deployed on security duty in this megapolis ahead of “Kaanum Pongal” (sight seeing) on Thursday marking the culmination of the four-day Pongal festivities in Tamil Nadu.
In 2021 and 2022, the famous Marina beach front witnessed huge crowds, marking a return to normalcy after two years of muted celebrations due to the COVID pandemic.
And this year it would be no different as the Beach front will resemble a sea of humanity as people are expected to congregate in large numbers.
The beach witnessed an unprecedented crowd with lakhs of people making it the most preferred destination to spend the holiday.
As per the instructions of Chennai City Police Commissioner A Arun, apart from physical deployment of police personnel in uniform and in plain clothes, various other measures were put in place to ensure that tight vigil was maintained in all places, including at the famous Marina beach, where hundreds and thousands of people from various parts of the State, are expected to congregate on the occasion.
More than 16,000 police personnel drawn from State police, city Police and 1,500 Home Guards would be on security duty on the Marina beach stretch and in other parts of the city.
Police personnel would be manning the entire stretch of Kamarajar Salai on the Marina beach where a large number of people were expected to visit former Chief Ministers MGR, J.Jayalalithaa, M.Karunanidhi and C.N. Annadurai memorials.
Apart from setting up temporary mini control rooms and police booths on all avenue roads leading to Marin on the beach stretch, Police sources said all terrain vehicles would be deployed at Marina and at Besant Nagar Elliots Beach to patrol the beach front.
