Coimbatore: Tight security is in place in Coimbatore for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on Tuesday. More than 6,000 police personnel roped in from neighbouring districts have been deployed. The Codissia Grounds, venue of Modi’s public meet and the ESI Hospital, being inaugurated, were brought under a five-tier security ring and round the clock monitoring.
Modi, who is expected to arrive by a chartered flight at Coimbatore International airport, will drive straight to inaugurate the ESI Hospital built at a cost of Rs 580 crores in Singanallur at around 3.30 pm. From there, the Prime Minister will reach the Codissia Grounds to address a public meeting, which is likely to draw several lakhs of cadres.
A control room has been opened at the Codissia Grounds and a team of Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad sleuths and sniffer dogs have been pressed into service.
After the public meet, Modi will leave the city by a special flight at around 6.30 pm. He will be travelling around in a bullet proof car brought from Delhi.
On Monday, J.K. Tripathy, ADGP (Law and Order), District Collector Archana Patnaik and City Police Commissioner A. Amalraj discussed the security arrangements for Modi’s visit. Traffic changes have been effected for Tuesday.
Heavy vehicles from Avinashi and Karumathampatty should go by Neelambur, L&T bypass Road to reach Chinthamanipudur junction and take the Trichy road to reach Ramanathapuram Junction to proceed via Lakshmi Mills junction from 10 am on Tuesday. All other vehicles should follow this traffic pattern from 12 noon, a release from the police said.
Similarly all heavy duty vehicles leaving the city from Gandhipuram, JM Bakery, and Anna Statue to Avinashi should go via Lakshmi Mills junction, Ramanathapuram, Singanallur and reach Chinthamanipudur to proceed through Neelambur by L&T Bypass road from 10 am. Other vehicles should follow this traffic pattern from 1 pm.
Plan to take issue to PM Modi
During the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city on Tuesday, the ‘Save Avinasilingam University Mission’ plans to meet him personally to bring to his notice the nebulous and precarious position of the university with regard to its sources of funds.
“Since 1988, the university has been a public-funded institution, receiving about Rs 50 crore per year from the UGC. But, unfortunately, the memorandum of association submitted by the university in 2015 and approved by the UGC does not conform to that of a public funded deemed university. Therefore, the UGC has decided to stop the grants to the university with effect from April 2017. The latest communication from the UGC says that as of now there is no proposal to stop the grants. Therefore, future funding of this university remains uncertain and precarious,” said Pon Chandran one of the members of the ‘Save Avinasilingam University Mission’.
“We earnestly appeal to the Prime Minister to intervene in this matter and take steps so that this premier institution of Coimbatore catering to the educational needs of women students will continue to remain a public-funded institution. Otherwise, a larger number of women students will be deprived of higher education at affordable cost,” he added.
At present about 5, 000 students are studying in the university.
Tell PM to slash fuel price: TPDK members
A plea to the visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to slash fuel costs took on a bizarre hue here on Monday at the Public Grievances Day at the district Collectorate when members of a political outfit trooped into the complex carrying a scooter.
Members of the TPDK-Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam- in a petition to collector Archana Patnaik, urged her to inform the Prime Minister during his Coimbatore visit on Tuesday about the need to reduce the cost of petrol and diesel.
Due to the drop in price of crude oil from US dollars 145 to 30 per barrel, most of the countries had reduced the cost of petrol.
Petrol price has to be reduced to Rs 20 per litre in India, as Bangladesh was selling it for Rs 19, and neighboring Pakistan for Rs 20 per litre, they urged, adding, increasing the excise duty on petrol and diesel will only make the cost of living dearer to the people.
On behalf of the Coimbatore people, “The district collector has to take this demand to PM Modi,” the TPDK demanded in its petition.
