Police work round the clock to control crowd, ease traffic

Say traffic diversions will be announced as and when needed

Tense moments: A minor clash broke out between the police and DMK functionaries outside Kauvery Hospital on Sunday night. M. Prabhu

As hundreds of DMK cadre continue to throng Kauvery Hospital in Alwarpet, where the ailing DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, is receiving treatment, the city police have been working round-the-clock to maintain law and order in the locality.

Unlike Apollo Hospitals — where former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was admitted — which is tucked away on a street off Greams Road, Kauvery Hospital is located on a prime junction. Thousands of vehicles, including MTC buses, pass through this road regularly.

The stretch sees slow traffic on Saturdays, when devotees throng the Alwarpet Anjaneyar Temple.

“When hundreds of party cadre gather at the Luz Church Road-T.T.K. Road junction, ensuring traffic flow is a big challenge. Our personnel are working round-the-clock to ensure that neither the public nor the party cadre are affected,” a senior police officer said. However, the traffic police have not announced any diversions as of yet. “We make diversions as and when the need arises. For example, when Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu visited the hospital, we blocked traffic at the junction and cleared it once he left,” a police officer said.

Working in shifts

Police personnel have also been posted on the T.T.K. Road flyover to ensure that traffic is not affected due to motorists stopping to catch a glimpse of what is happening below.

Around 300 police personnel have been deployed around the hospital on a shift basis. This includes 200 personnel from the armed reserve. “They work on morning and night shifts. While the day shift lasts 8 hours, the night shift is for 10 hours,” a senior police officer said.

Barricades and ropes are being used to control the party cadre and prevent them from entering the hospital premises. “Many VIPs have been visiting the hospital to meet the DMK leader, so our security is fool-proof,” an officer said.

DMK cadre are also happy with the arrangements. “We just want to be near the place where our leader has been admitted. The police are allowing us to stand in a place without affecting the public,” said M. Sivakumar, a DMK functionary.