In the wake of the numerous terror attacks through sea, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard will strengthen the sea patrolling during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit in connection with the inauguration of the ‘Emerging Kerala’ meet and the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Kochi Metro Rail project.
The decision in this regard was taken in the Advance Security Liaison (ASL) meeting held here on Sunday, said Ernakulam range IG K Padmakumar.
The top police officials in the region have reviewed the security scenario in the city. “Three sections of ‘Kerala Thunder Bolts’, the first commando force of the Kerala police under the India Reserve Battalion (IRB), will be the striking force during the PM’s visit,” the sources said.
The ASL has decided to deploy as many as 2,000 police personnel. The cops from Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts would be roped in.
The PM will arrive at Kochi Naval Airport at 11 am on Wednesday on a special aircraft. Padmakumar said that 10 personnel belonging to the rank of the superintendent of police would be deployed here during the visit. Two hundred circle inspectors and 200 sub inspectors would be deployed in the city.
However, the police do not intend to make harsh traffic regulations. The traffic would be blocked for a brief time, and it would be normalised as soon as the PM passes through.
“The traffic will be closed for at least 15 minutes and the parking of vehicles will not be allowed in any of the routes marked for the PM’s journey. We will do our best to avoid inconvenience to the public,” the IG said.
Specified routes have been decided for ambulance service to the hospitals in the city. Inspector General of Special Protection Group (SPG) S C Thaosen, Inspector General of Internal Security S Anand Krishnan, Superintendent of the Ernakulam Range Special Branch M Muraleedharan Nair, Kochi City Police Commissioner M R Ajith Kumar and special units such as the intelligence wing and RAW also attended.