Security up ahead of Modi visit

Madurai

has been brought under a thick security blanket ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city on Thursday night.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to address an election rally along with Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Pannerselvam and other leaders of National Democratic Alliance parties on Friday forenoon.

The Prime Minister will seek votes for candidates of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Bharatiya Janata Party and other alliance parties competing in the Assembly election. Mr. Modi is expected to arrive at Madurai airport at around 8.20 p.m. on Thursday and is scheduled to drive straight to Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple for darshan, according to police sources.

Later, he would go to a hotel near Tirupparankundram. Mr. Modi would come by road to Amma Thidal, the public meeting venue on Ring Road at around 11.30 a.m. on Friday. He will share the dais with alliance party leaders to introduce 34 candidates of NDA from southern districts. He will leave by a chopper to election-bound Kerala by 12.30 p.m.

Over 4,500 police personnel drawn from across the State are being deployed for the security during the Prime Minister’s visit. Senior police officers from various districts, led by Additional Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal, are already in the city.

Commissioner of Police Prem Anand Sinha inspected the security arrangements at Meenakshi temple in the morning.

Meanwhile, police teams have intensified vehicle checking. They are also conducting checks in lodges.

Traffic diversion

Vehicular traffic between Pandikoil junction and Mandela Road Junction will be diverted on Friday morning till the public meeting is over.

Similarly, there will be traffic diversion in the city between Palanganatham junction and Teppakulam through which the Prime Minister’s convoy is likely to pass through from the hotel to the meeting venue in the forenoon.