City police have banned bursting of crackers during Chithirai festival. Similarly, the police have made it mandatory to put up tin-roofed shelters instead of thatched roof shelters at the mandagapadis, where Lord Kallazhagar halts to give darshan to devotees.
The new stipulations come into force to prevent fire accidents at crowded places during the festival that takes place during the peak summer season. The police have taken additional caution in the backdrop of the fire tragedy in Kollam district in Kerala, that claimed more than 100 lives, caused while bursting of crackers at a temple festival.
“We have asked our officials to keep vigil and prevent bursting of crackers at crowded places,” the Commissioner of Police, Shailesh Kumar Yadav, said.
A police officer said that though many mandagapadis have come up with thatched roofs, the police have asked the organisers to remove and replace them with tin-sheets.
Meanwhile, the district police have asked Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation officials to inspect the mandagapadis in rural areas and ensure that the electrical connections there were safe to ensure prevention of any electricity-related accidents during the festival.
The city police would deploy around 2,450 police officials and personnel for the security arrangement for Meenakshi Tirukalyanam on Tuesday and car festival on Wednesday. Mr. Yadav said that over 20 mega television sets would be put up in Adi Streets, Chithirai Streets and Aavani Moola Streets to prevent over crowding in and around the temple. Spotters would be deployed in crowded areas to spot known anti-social elements.
