Kaanum Pongal: Over 15,000 police personnel deployed in Chennai to facilitate crowd

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 16 : In view of 'Kaanum Pongal' celebrations on Tuesday, Chennai Police has deployed over 15,000 personnel to facilitate the crowd and maintain law and order in the city.
On Kaanum Pongal, there is a tradition where families and relatives meet each other in public places.
Speaking about the arrangements, Deputy Commissioner, Chennai Mylapore Rajat Chaturvedi said, "We are here to facilitate the crowd to avoid untoward incidents. Barricades have been placed to avoid drowning incidents in beaches. I have also directed police personnel to speak politely to the public. Sensitive training is also being given to police personnel."
Security has been beefed up in major public places like Marina Beach, Besant Nagar, Elliots Beach, and Guindy National Park.
According to Greater Chennai Police, 11 temporary Police helpline booths have been installed in beaches. Two temporary mini-control room have been set up near Uzlaipalar Statue and Gandhi Statue. Further, seven ambulances and two fire engines have been kept on standby as precautionary measures. Motorboats and over 140 divers from NGOs have also been kept ready for rescue operations in case of any untoward incident.
Chennai Police has introduced exclusive ID cards for children to trace if they got missed in the crowd. Parents can get this ID card from the Police Control booth on beaches in which they have to specify their children's names, address and contact numbers. These ID cards would be tied to children's hands. Drones are also being used to assist police personnel to ensure security.
To avoid traffic congestion during Pongal celebrations, traffic diversion routes around Marina Beach were also announced by the Chennai Traffic Police.