Day one of Muthuramalinga Thevar jayanthi and guru puja on Thursday passed off peacefully in the city with hundreds of men and women bringing milk pots and sprouts to offer to the statue of the freedom fighter at Goripalayam junction.
The city police had made elaborate security arrangements and traffic diversions for over 1,200 people who took out processions in big and small numbers. The processions came from Avaniapuram, Villapuram, Keeraithurai and Anuppanadi. Police said that all the organisers of processions cooperated with them and avoided the bridges across the Vaigai river, but passed over the Kalpalam causeway without causing any hindrance to vehicular traffic.
Commissioner of Police Shailesh Kumar Yadav had instructed the people taking out processions not to climb up the bridge. Besides, the processions were completed before noon. With new stainless steel ladders — one for climbing up and other for climbing down -- put up by the Corporation, the queue at the junction to garland the statue and pour milk over it melted faster.
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The junction on the southern side of the statue was barricaded to ensure free flow of procession and vehicular traffic. Though the city police had banned parking of vehicles on the junction, the convoy of local leaders violated it, thus causing traffic congestion for vehicles coming from Palam Station Road.