Tamil Nadu has deployed about one lakh policemen to protect more than 37,000 Vinayaka idols ahead of immersion proceedings scheduled for September 19 and 20, with Chennai alone assigning 16,500 police personnel and 1,500 Home Guards to manage the processions and immersion of 1,562 idols.
The Greater Chennai Police said surveillance would cover locations where the idols have been installed, using two-wheeler and four-wheeler patrol vehicles. Organisers have been instructed to conduct processions only on permitted days and routes, and to immerse idols only at locations approved by the police.
Temporary control rooms and help desks will be established at the immersion points. Authorities have also arranged conveyor belts, cranes and boats to support the immersion process. Fire tenders, ambulances, motorboats and swimmers will be kept ready for emergencies, while watchtowers, binoculars, mounted branch personnel and all-terrain vehicles will be used for crowd monitoring.
The police have identified Neelankarai, Thiruvottiyur, Pattinapakkam and Kasimedu fishing harbour as the usual immersion locations in Chennai. However, the National Green Tribunal has ordered that idol immersion should not be allowed at Pattinapakkam and Neelankarai beaches. The report said it was not known whether the city police would announce alternative locations before the immersion dates.
The restriction places the city’s festival-management arrangements at the intersection of public safety, coastal regulation and water pollution control. The police said the conditions imposed on installation, worship and immersion were framed in accordance with guidelines from the Madras High Court, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department and Greater Chennai Corporation.
Permission was granted for the installation of the 1,562 idols in Chennai after organisers assured the authorities that they would follow the restrictions and conditions, conduct the worship peacefully and use permitted immersion points. The police have also asked people to install CCTV cameras at locations where idols have been placed.
Greater Chennai Police warned that legal action would be taken for violations at idol installation sites, along procession routes or at immersion points. The next operational milestone will be the final implementation of the permitted routes and immersion locations before the September 19-20 proceedings.
