Days ahead of Deepavali, the Chennai Police have beefed up security in and around the prime shopping area in T Nagar, Chennai. Two drones, more than 100 CCTV cameras and around 1000 police personnel have been deployed in T Nagar to monitor and regulate the crowd swarming the shops ahead of Deepavali.
As per reports, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has also posted sanitary inspectors in T Nagar to conduct inspections and ensure that the shops and those who arrive for shopping follow the COVID-19 protocols declared by the government of Tamil Nadu. Several pictures and videos of crowded streets including Usman road and Ranganathan street in T Nagar went viral on Sunday, as Chennai residents stepped out to shop on the last weekend before Deepavali.
As per plan, the live feed provided by the two drones deployed in T Nagar will help mobilise policemen to crowded areas and regulate the shoppers promptly. GCC’s sanitary inspectors have also been tasked with penalising violators and collecting samples from shopkeepers regularly to keep track of the infections.
The Chennai Police have also set up watchtowers in certain points to observe the crowd and have opened mini-control rooms for better coordination. Police assistance booths have also been set up in Mambalam and Pondy Bazaar police station limits for swift assistance to shoppers who come to T Nagar.
Recently, the GCC sealed a showroom of Kumaran silks in T Nagar for flouting COVID-19 protocols after a video of the crowd inside the shop went viral on social media. The video showed shoppers inside the showroom not following the basic guidelines of physical distancing. Many shoppers in the video didn’t have masks on either.
Meanwhile, while the number of fresh COVID-19 cases in Chennai is on the decline, officials of the Health department have expressed caution for the next two or three months. With the festival season around the corner, officers continued to place high emphasis on non-medical methods like frequent washing of hands, using face masks and maintaining adequate physical distancing.