THOOTHUKUDI: Thoothukudi police have planned to install automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and counting cameras at key locations on the way to the Kulasekarapattinam, in order to monitor vehicles during the Soorasamharam event of the Dussehra festival on October 2, said Thoothukudi Superintendent of Police (SP) Albert John during a press briefing on Monday.
The SP said over 3,500 police personnel have been deployed to handle the crowd at the Kulasekarapattinam Mutharaman temple. Adequate amenities, including the addition of 50 acres of land area for parking vehicles besides the available 200 acres, and three bus stands have been established for the festival, he said, assuring that the department would be more careful, citing the recent Karur tragedy.
The number plate recognition cameras and counting cameras will be installed at Seithunganallur, Udangudi, and Authoor — key entry points — in order to count the vehicles and read the registration numbers, so that the facilities at the parking areas could be managed properly, he said, adding that the installation of cameras would be a temporary arrangement.
As devotee inflow would swell during soorasamharam, the police have made elaborate safety arrangements, John said, adding that the number of CCTV cameras installed would be doubled. For the first time, the police have set up a separate control room and launched two drones for an overhead survey to manage the crowd by identifying bottlenecks, public density and traffic congestion, he said.
Also, the district police for the first time will roll out an AI-based chatbot to facilitate the devotees with immediate responses regarding availability of drinking water, parking spaces, directions to washrooms, bus stands, besides alerting them about the traffic situation.
Committees have been formed to supervise the “adal padal” events of Dussehra sets as per the court directives, which had ordered to prohibit obscene dances, he added.