CHENNAI: As many as 16,000 police personnel will be deployed for security duty by the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) on Saturday (Jan 17) to regulate and monitor crowds visiting public places like Marina Beach and other public places for Kaanum Pongal celebrations.
Additionally, 1,500 Home Guard volunteers will be stationed at Marina, and temporary mini control rooms and assistant booths have been set up at the seven entrances of the service road from Labour Statue to LightHouse.
At Marina beach, watch towers have been erected in which three police personnel will be posted, equipped with walkie-talkies, megaphones, and binoculars. Additional CCTV cameras have been installed at 12 vital places, and monitoring will be done on wide screens in the temporary control room.
"The public will not be allowed to venture into the sea on Wednesday. Temporary fencing has been erected along the coast," an official release said.
Three ATV (all-terrain vehicles) and mounted branch personnel will be patrolling the sands to prevent theft and stop people from venturing into the waters. Trained personnel of GCP, along with 200 swimmers of Coastal Security Group (CSG), will also be deployed on the coast.
ID cards with parent/child details will be issued to families to ensure safety. Similar arrangements have been made at Elliot's Beach, too. Eight drone cameras, four each at Marina Beach and Elliot's Beach, will be in place.
Besides beaches, police assistance booths have been set up at prominent places, including Children's Park in Guindy, Tamil Nadu Government Tourism Exhibition at Island Grounds and amusement parks.
Road Safety Teams of GCTP will patrol on two-wheelers, and checkpoints have been set up at important traffic junctions to prevent speeding and bike racing on arterial roads.