Chennai has deployed about 18,000 police personnel across crowded shopping districts, markets and major bus stands as Deepavali shopping gathers pace across the city. The operation combines surveillance, crowd monitoring, traffic regulation, public announcements and missing-person assistance at locations expected to see heavy footfall.
Greater Chennai Police have identified T. Nagar, Pondy Bazaar, Mylapore, Washermenpet, Purasawalkam, Koyambedu, Anna Nagar and Flower Bazaar as key shopping areas requiring additional security. Police arrangements also cover bus termini and major bus stands, where the festival rush is expected to coincide with increased passenger movement.
The security deployment includes 25 watch towers, with 10 in T. Nagar, four in Flower Bazaar, one in Adyar, and two each in Triplicane and Koyambedu. Police are using 37 binoculars to monitor crowds from these locations. Twelve temporary police control rooms, 37 temporary police assistance centres and 10 mini CCTV control rooms have also been established across the city.
An additional 205 temporary CCTV cameras have been installed in T. Nagar, St. Thomas Mount, Flower Bazaar, Mylapore, Kilpauk and Triplicane. Seven drone cameras are being used in T. Nagar, Flower Bazaar, Triplicane and Koyambedu to monitor crowd movement. Police teams equipped with face-recognition system applications are also moving through crowded areas to identify known offenders, according to the report.
The arrangements include 100 body cameras worn by police personnel deployed within crowds. Officials have also made provisions to trace missing children, including wristbands for children so that they can be identified if separated from their families. Help desks and temporary assistance centres are intended to support people who lose contact with family members in congested shopping areas.
Public communication is being handled through four LED screens in Adyar, Triplicane and Koyambedu, along with 66 speakers installed to issue instructions and crime-prevention warnings. Automatic audio awareness messages are also being played at three locations. Plainclothes police personnel are deployed within the crowds as part of the preventive security arrangements.
Traffic management is another component of the operation. Two-wheeler and four-wheeler police teams are carrying out round-the-clock patrols, while traffic marshals on two-wheelers are monitoring T. Nagar, Purasawalkam, Washermenpet and Flower Bazaar to regulate vehicle movement and reduce congestion. Mobile X-ray baggage scanner vehicles are being used at crowded locations, shopping malls and markets to check baggage.
Police have advised women wearing jewellery around the neck to cover it with clothing as a precaution against theft. Preparatory safety measures are also being carried out near cracker shops. The deployment will remain focused on managing the festival crowd, preventing crimes and supporting safe movement through Chennai’s busiest commercial and transport areas.
