Karur gears up for CM Vijay's first official visit

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will make his maiden visit to Karur on Friday, nearly a year after the devastating stampede during his party rally that claimed 41 lives.

Carrying both administrative and emotional significance, the CM is scheduled to meet the families of the stampede victims at the District Collectorate, where he is expected to personally interact with them, official sources said.

As part of the state's rehabilitation efforts, he will hand over government appointment orders to one eligible member from each victim's family, fulfilling a key promise made after coming to power.

With less than 24 hours left for Vijay's visit, Karur has turned into a hive of frantic activity.

Local authorities, government workers, and cadres of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) are working round-the-clock to ensure the programme proceeds without disruption.

Large 'pandals' have been erected at the main venue, where the Chief Minister is expected to address a massive public gathering and lay the foundation stone for several welfare schemes in the district.

To prevent overcrowding, access to the primary meeting venues has been strictly regulated through designated entry-exit buffer zones.

Attendance at the public venue has been capped at around 5,000, with entry restricted strictly to those holding digital QR-code passes.

According to police sources, security arrangements have been intensified across the city with over 5,000 police officials deployed to oversee crowd management, traffic regulation, venue security and emergency response preparedness.

Officials from all departments have been coordinating over the last few days to review emergency exit routes, medical preparedness, and crowd control measures to ensure the event is conducted smoothly.