The city police have made elaborate security arrangements from Wednesday evening in view of the Independence Day celebrations on Thursday and announced traffic diversions on Kamarajar Salai and surrounding areas.
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami will hoist the national flag on the ramparts of Fort St. George and address the gathering. In view of this, five-tier security will be provided around the fort and high-resolution CCTV devices will be installed. The entire area will be under surveillance.
As per instructions of Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan, 12,000 police personnel will be deployed for bandobust duty.
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More personnel will be deployed to shore up security at crowd-prone locations. Surprise checks will be conducted at lodges and hotels, and their managements have been asked to pass on information if they notice any suspicious activity or people. General patrolling will be intensified and vehicle checks will be conducted at important junctions of the city.
The city police announced modification in the traffic routes from 6 a.m. on Thursday till the function’s conclusion.
The stretch of Kamarajar Salai from Labour Statue up to RBI Subway North on Rajaji Salai and Flag Staff Road will be closed for all vehicular traffic other than vehicles with car passes. Vehicles on Kamarajar Salai may take the Swami Sivananda Salai, Anna Salai, Muthusamy Bridge, Muthusamy Road, R.A. Mandram and NFS Road to reach Parry’s Corner. Vehicles on Rajaji Salai may take the NFS Road, R.A. Mandram, Muthusamy Road, Muthusamy Bridge, Anna Salai and Wallajah Road to reach Kamarajar Salai.
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Vehicles from Muthusamy bridge/Anna Salai may take the Muthusamy Bridge, Muthusamy Road, R.A. Mandram and NFS Road to reach Parry’s Corner, and Anna Salai and Wallajah Road to reach Kamarajar Salai respectively.
Vehicles with blue and pink passes will take the route either via Flag Staff Road and Wallajah Gate or via Muthusamy Bridge, Muthusamy Road, NFS Road, Parry’s Corner and RBI subway to reach Secretariat exit gate out for disembarkation. Those vehicles will be parked on the PWD parking lot (opposite to Secretariat).
Vehicles coming before 8.45 a.m. with red and purple passes will take the Rajaji Salai and be parked inside the Secretariat. Vehicles issued with these red and purple passes coming after 8.45 a.m. will take the route via Flag Staff Road and enter Fort St. George through the Wallajah Gate and will follow the same instruction given to blue and pink pass holders.
Those vehicles without passes will be stopped near the War Memorial and will be allowed to park inside Island Ground through the Anna Salai entry. MTC buses carrying RSP and NSS students will enter the Island Ground through the VIP Gate and be parked at the allotted places.