Date:06/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/06/stories/2008100658030300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Police taking trouble to ensure trouble-free festival shopping

S. Vijay Kumar

Restrictions on movement of vehicles along commercial streets coming

— Photo: M. Vedhan

CONGESTION IS THE GAME: It is a cacophony of horns, bargaining voices, and shouts in a shopping area in Purasawalkam where jostling crowds are inching their way in or out.

CHENNAI: Next Saturday, the Chennai City Traffic Police will slap restrictions on the movement of vehicles along commercial streets, particularly T. Nagar, Purasalwakam and Flower Bazaar.

While deploying adequate manpower for security arrangements such as anti-sabotage checks, patrolling and crowd management, the Commissioner of Police, R. Sekar, has instructed police officials to ensure a hassle-free shopping experience for people thronging stores and malls.

The Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Sunil Kumar, has chalked out a special traffic scheme for the festival season. While roping in additional manpower from Home Guards, Friends of Police and other voluntary organisations, he has asked traffic personnel to have emergency exit route at all busy streets to meet emergency situations.

“We have identified one main road in all commercial streets that will serve as an emergency exit route. The Panagal flyover will be one such exit passage in the T. Nagar area,” he said.

Mr. Sunil Kumar said a separate team of traffic and local police had been formed to facilitate safe movement of pedestrians. While encroachments along pedestrian platforms would not be allowed, shopkeepers would be asked not to keep their articles outside their premises.

Besides traffic arrangements, the city police have installed the sophisticated speed-dome cameras at vantage points. Plainclothesmen would mingle with the crowd and keep tabs on anti-social elements. Almost every shop in the commercial streets has installed closed circuit television network on the advice of the police.

‘Spotter PCs’, who are trained to identify habitual offenders, extremists and hardcore criminals, would also be positioned at sensitive areas, police sources added.