Police take steps to ensure safe Deepavali shopping
Milling crowd: Vilakkuthoon area in Madurai awash with Deepavali shoppers on Sunday.
Entry of heavy cargo vehicles banned; share autorickshaw movement watched
With Deepavali fast approaching, East Marret Street-Kamarajar Road junction here is packed with scores of shoppers almost all through the day.
The crowd movement is so fast in Vilakkuthoon area that nearly 200 pedestrians gather on each side of the road within a minute after police try to regulate traffic from Palace Road to East Marret Street. With less than a fortnight left for the festival of lights, Madurai City Police are gearing up to maintain order in the heart of the city.
People from the city and neighbouring districts throng textile, jewellery and electrical appliances showrooms on Masi, Marret and Avani streets.
A traffic police officer at East Marret Street-Kamarajar Road junction said, “Entry of lorries, tempo travellers and mini trucks into these streets has been banned from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. to ensure convenient shopping for people.”
Currently, the police were asking shoppers and public, through the public address system installed at the junction, to watch over their belongings. “Within the next four days, the system will be in place at Nelpettai junction on East Veli Street and Lemon Market junction near North Masi Street,” he said.
A traffic police officer posted on East Veli Street said share autorickshaws were the main cause of traffic congestion. “They are stopped in front of big showrooms for a long time until they get enough number of passengers. The police are constantly monitoring them,” he said.
Joseph Nixon, Assistant Commissioner (Traffic), said barricades had been placed on this main road to regulate traffic and ensure a hassle-free shopping for people.
