Velankanni town is expected to handle up to 10 lakh devotees during the annual festival of Our Lady of Good Health in Nagapattinam. The celebration begins on August 29 with flag hoisting and ends on September 8 with the car procession.
On Saturday, Collector A. Arun Thamburaj, Superintendent of Police G. Jawahar, and other officials visited the Basilica to review the preparations being made for the 11-day festival.
According to the Collector, around 10 lakh devotees are expected to throng the Basilica as the worship place was shut for the devotees during the annual festival for the last two years owing to the COVID-19 restrictions.
On the day of flag hoisting, over 200 buses and around 250 buses on other days would be operated from various places including Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Manapparai and Dindigul to make it easier for devotees to travel without hassle.
Around 2,000 police personnel, including 16 Deputy Superintendents of Police, 110 inspectors , and 200 patrol officers, are deployed at the Shrine. For better monitoring, 27 CCTV cameras are installed on the church premises, and 24-hour surveillance will be maintained.
Boundaries are set to prevent devotees from venturing farther into the beach. A rescue team with rubber boats and around 200 firefighters at 12 spots have been kept in a state of readiness.
According to officials, medical camps will be conducted in more than 10 locations including Madha Kulam, bus stand, railway station, beach, and arch main road. About 25 doctors, and 158 staff consisting of 71 nurses and 87 health inspectors will be deployed.
In addition, 60 practising health inspectors have been assigned duties. As many as nine ambulances are also kept ready. Around 420 sanitation workers are deployed to check sanitation and hygiene on the Shrine premises.
To make sure that the food items are hygienic, all of the canteens and restaurants selling water cans, milk, and other food products in the area are being inspected and the food quality is tested, officials added.
