After the Thevar Jayanthi bandobust, the police are again back in action. This time, it is for the deepavali festival, which falls on November 13.
With hardly 10 days left for the D-Day, police have drawn up plans to tackle the crowd which is likely to throng the busy shopping zones in the city for purchasing clothes, sweets and fire-crackers.
Inspector General and Commissioner of Police Sanjay Mathur said on broader terms, the police would focus on crime prevention, crowd management and traffic regulation during the next 7 to 8 days.
The city police would rope in the services of Home Guards personnel for traffic management, who would be posted at vantage locations, where crowds throng the chain stores and other shopping centres.
As for the crime prevention, women police would be deployed and with regard to handling the crowd, the police would watch the movements from specially erected high-rise towers on the busy stretches like Netaji Road, Town Hall Road, South Masi and Vilakuthoon pockets during evenings.
With regard to parking of vehicles, the one-way traffic system should come in handy for parking purposes, especially on the Alagar Koil Road. “Only with the cooperation of the motorists, the police would be able to handle it with ease,” a traffic police officer in Netaji Road said. However, by using call taxis and autos, the shoppers may avoid traffic congestion that would arise due to parking in haphazard manner in cramped locations.
Surveillance cameras
The shopping malls and chain stores’ managers have been sensitised to install and closely monitor movements of people through surveillance cameras and CCTV. With huge turnout expected in the next couple of days, the police have also planned to post plain-clothes men and women personnel at locations, where thieves may surface under the guise of customers.
Many textile, jewellery and chain-stores have installed CCTVs and have alternative power back-up to ensure that there were no untoward incidents, when electricity went off.
The police have alerted public to beware of strangers and in the event of any complaints, they can contact 0452-2350760, 2350800 or the police control room at 100, Mr. Sanjay Mathur said.
