As many as 10,000 police personnel will be on bandobast duty on Friday as thousands are expected to throng Chennai’s beaches to celebrate Kaanum Pongal.
According to reports, two control rooms have been set up by the police on the Marina Beach stretch and the police will also install 11 help centres between Labour statue and the Lighthouse. While around 5000 police personnel will be deployed in and around Marina Beach and Kamarajar Salai, the remaining policemen will be stationed at various amusement parks and places of interest across the city. Marina Beach will have two control rooms, 11 help centres, seven ambulances, two fire tenders, 140 swimmers and seven All-Terrain Vehicles on duty on Friday. Elliots beach in Besant Nagar, meanwhile, will have a control room, four watch towers, an ambulance, a fire tender and two All-Terrain Vehicles doing the rounds.
The police will also establish 13 high towers, each manned by a three-member police team. Three drone cameras will also be put on service. Apart from these, 12 policemen with high definition cameras will be doing the rounds amidst the crowd. The city police will also add 16 horses to monitor the crowd on the beach. Like previous years, children will be provided with tags to facilitate easy identification if they go missing.
Aringnar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai (Vandalur zoo) has also made special arrangements for people to view new-born animals on a special large LED display on Kaanum Pongal day. Security has been beefed up in many other places across Chennai like the Island Grounds and Guindy National park.
Kaanum Pongal is traditionally celebrated in Tamil Nadu by going out with family members. The last day of Pongal festival, Kaanum Pongal is also marked by Jallikattu events held across the state, with the most famous one held in Alanganallur in Madurai district. Till Thursday evening, a man was killed and over 80 people have been injured in various Jallikattu events conducted in Madurai, Trichy and Krishnagiri districts.