Anti-sabotage measures initiated ahead of Independence Day

The entire police strength of nearly one lakh personnel have been deployed across the State, including 15,000 in Chennai, to beef up security.

“If the Palk Strait can be used for smuggling gold and drugs, it can be also used by terror elements. Though there is no specific intelligence input, there has been a general alert about possible infiltration through sea ever since Mumbai terror attack. We don’t want to leave any stone unturned,” a senior officer said.

Alert has been also issued to heighten security at airports and other sensitive installations as a precautionary measure, sources said.

Though there are no regular passenger train services, the railway police have deployed its personnel and also those from Tamil Nadu Special Police Battalion to make sure that the entire network is safe. Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad personnel and sniffer dogs are checking to ensure that railway premises are secure, a statement from Railway police said.