Tight security arrangement has been put in place for the visit of Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Prime Ministerial nominee Narendra Modi to Tiruchi on September 26 who will take part in the party’s youth conference on that date.
The sprawling railway ground at ‘G’ corner- the meeting venue – has already been brought under round-the-clock vigil with high definition surveillance cameras and surveillance teams deployed at the spot.
Being the visit of the high-profile BJP leader who falls under the ‘Z Plus’ category, the City Police have proposed to augment security by seeking police strength from various zones in addition to mobilising their manpower.
Preparatory works for drafting a comprehensive bandobust plan has been set in motion, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Abhinav Kumar said.
Police sources said around 5,000 police personnel are proposed to be drafted for security with sizeable strength at the function spot where a couple of surveillance cameras have already been deployed.
Ahead of Mr. Modi’s visit, foot patrol by police personnel has been introduced from the function spot to the jail corner junction. Three patrol vehicles were constantly doing the rounds in and around the vicinity of the meeting venue where a temporary outpost with armed guards in shifts having been put in place.
Work of establishing a huge stage and provisions for seating arrangements at the meeting venue are going at hectic pace. Police sources said surveillance cameras have also been deployed at the jail corner and at airport.
As the venue is close to the national highway, elaborate arrangements would also be made for traffic movements. The sources said 16 parking lots would be set up for the conference.
Alongside drafting detailed security plan, the City Police organised a meeting with representatives of various hotels, shopping malls, lodges and tourist cabs here on Friday sensitising them to the precautionary measures they needed to take in connection with Mr. Modi’s visit.
The participants were asked to inform the police immediately in case they came across unclaimed suspicious objects within their respective commercial premises and about suspicious movement of strangers.
The representatives were asked to sensitise their field level personnel including their security staff about the precautionary measures. The participants were also advised to install CCTV cameras in their respective premises and ensure that it were in working condition for easier identification of strangers.
Telephone numbers of city police officers and facsimile copies of the ‘most wanted’ men the police were in search of in connection with the plot to assassinate BJP leader L.K. Advani in Madurai in 2011 were circulated to the participants at the meeting that was presided over by Mr. Abhinav Kumar.
