VIJAYAWADA: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Amaravati on May 2, the Andhra Pradesh police have heightened security measures in both erstwhile undivided Krishna and Guntur districts, including Vijayawada City and Gannavaram Airport, to thwart any untoward incident.
Apart from the Special Protection Group, paramilitary forces, and Guntur police, around 2,500 police personnel belonging to Krishna and NTR districts are being deployed to oversee security arrangements in both Krishna and Vijayawada City. Notably, Modi is scheduled to visit Amaravati on May 2 to relaunch the capital development works worth approximately Rs 65,000 crore.
In view of this, at the behest of the State government, both Krishna and NTR district police have intensified patrolling and checking activities, extensively undertaking special raids on hotels and lodges to detain suspected persons and curb illegal activities.
Commissioner of Police SV Rajashekhar Babu said, “We are carrying out cordon searches and surprise checks in the limits of NTR District Police Commissionerate.” He directed all Station House Officers to intensify night vigil and checks to ensure security.
Speaking to TNIE, Vijayawada Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) KGV Saritha said security has been beefed up in the city with around 2,000 police personnel deployed for the PM’s programme. “Vijayawada will witness a high level of VVIP movement, and they are also likely to stay in the city,” she added.
At Gannavaram Airport, Krishna police forces under the supervision of Superintendent of Police R Gangadhara Rao have intensified security. The airport has been divided into 10 sectors, with 500 police personnel engaged to ensure tight security. Coordination work with specialised units like Greyhounds and Octopus is being carried out, and bomb disposal and sniffer dog squads have been deployed to detect any potential threats.
On the other hand, traffic will be diverted, and only vehicles related to the meeting will be allowed. “Vehicular movement towards Chennai will be diverted at Hanuman Junction through Gudivada-Pamarru and Bapatla (to and fro),” the SP said.
Around 400 buses and 20,000 people from Krishna district are likely to attend the PM’s meeting in Amaravati, and traffic arrangements are being made accordingly, the SP explained.