Anticipating a massive turnout of people to pay their last respects to the late Congress leader and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the police have put in place elaborate security, crowd management and traffic plan for Kottayam on Thursday.
According to officials, as many as 2,000 police officers will be deployed on crowd management duties at the Thirunakkara ground in Kottayam Town and at Puthuppally where the mortal remains of the late leader will be put on public display in the morning. A queue system will be implemented for the public to pay their tributes to the leader and no person will be permitted to spend time within the ground beyond a particular limit.
The arrangements at the main venue are being carried out by the District Congress Committee in association with the police and the Kottayam district administration. The funeral cortege carrying the leader’s coffin, which departed Thiruvananthapuram early on Wednesday, was accorded receptions at several locations along the Main Central Road throughout the day and was expected to reach Kottayam only in the early hours of Thursday.
