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“For the first time in the history of Thevar Jayanthi celebrations in Pasumpon, 75% of the areas in the districts will be monitored through CCTV cameras,” said Ramanathapuram Superintendent of Police G. Chandeesh. He inspected the security arrangements, police bandobust, check posts, control rooms, VIP passageways, among others on Wednesday to ensure the prior arrangements for Thevar Jayanthi event were on board. Speaking to journalists, he said, “Through repeated awareness campaigns and individual meetings with the village heads and public, we have made a breakthrough in the surveillance mechanism in the district.” Starting from mother villages to remote hamlets, there has been an increase in 4,000 CCTV cameras in the district when compared to previous year’s Thevar Jayanthi event, he noted. Though that initiative was part of regular policing, particularly for the Thevar Jayanthi event observed at Pasumpon, owing to the participation of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, political leaders and public, security in and around the district had been tightened through deployment of close to 8,000 police personnel who had arrived from various parts of the State, Mr. Chandeesh said. “To oversee the security arrangements and to ensure peaceful conduct of the event, 20 SPs, 28 ASPs and 75 DSPs, are stationed in the district for three days – October 28, 29 and 30,” he said. Furthermore, about 350 CCTVs’ live footage would be monitored through the two control rooms set up in the district, especially for the event. “More than 38 check posts around the district will serve the purpose of filtering those individuals and groups who are found to flout the rules from entering the event location,” he pointed out. Warning those individuals who continued to flout the rules, he noted that public continue using two-wheelers in the vicinity and if they were caught by the police, they would strictly be subjected to punishment in addition to losing their vehicles to the police. “We advise the public to follow all the rules issued by the district administration and police. If anyone is found not following the rules, they will surely be punished under the appropriate law,” he added. Ramanathapuram district administration, has prohibited usage of two-wheelers and hired vehicles (taxis, rental cars). Also, it added that no government, private buses, or freight vehicles (lorries, trucks) from other districts would be allowed into the areas of Parthibanur, Kamuthi, Mudukulathur and Sayalkudi. “Instead, all government, private buses, and freight vehicles coming from Madurai must travel to Ramanathapuram via Poovanthi, Sivaganga, Kalaiyarkoil, Sarugani, Thiruvadani, R.S. Mangalam and Devipattinam,” the press statement of the district administration added.
