The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Security beefed up for PM, Sonia visit

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Security beefed up for PM, Sonia visit

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MAY 4. Security in the State, particularly in Coimbatore district and in Chennai, has been beefed up in view of the visit of the Prime Minister, A.B.Vajpayee, and the Congress leader, Sonia Gandhi, for the election campaign.

While the Prime Minister is to arrive in the State tomorrow, Mrs.Gandhi will arrive here on May 7. Mr.Vajpayee will reach the city from Coimbatore after addressing a public meeting at Tirupur. Both leaders are to address public meetings on the Island Grounds here. Tight security will be provided to the two leaders. Arrangements necessary for the leaders in keeping with their security requirements would be strictly followed, the police said.

About 6,000 police personnel and officers would be on bandobust duty in the city during the visits of the Prime Minister and the Congress leader. Watchtowers manned by police personnel would be put up to keep vigil. Besides this, closed-circuit television sets would be installed to monitor the crowd at the public meeting venue. As part of the overall security arrangements, special equipment to jam the operation of cellular phones would be used at the meeting venue.

A special dais is being erected on the Island Grounds for the public meeting tomorrow. The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, will address the gathering along with the Prime Minister.

The City Commissioner, R.Natraj, inspected the arrangements on Monday.

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