Tight security in TN for President's three- day visit

Chennai, Sep 20: Police tightened security in several parts of Tamil Nadu in view of President A P J Abdul Kalam's hectic three-day visit to the state from September 22.

During his three-day whistle-stop tour, Dr Kalam would be attending as many as 20 functions, that included a meeting with his ''guru'' and Physics professor Fr. Chinnathurai, who had shaped him to become a missile scientist.

Dr Kalam would be meeting Fr Chinnathurai at his residence in Dindugul. He was the Physics professor when Dr Kalam studied at Bexchi College.

He would arrive at Kanniyakumari from Thiruvanthapuram on September 22 morning and visit the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar statue, before interacting with the students of Vivekananda Kendra and visiting the Hall of History.

Dr Kalam would then visit the Kudankulam Atomic Power Project in Tuticorin district and proceed to Tirunelveli where he has three programmes. First, he would visit the Polio Fitment camp and distribute light weight calipers to the beneficaries, then deliver the 14th convocaton at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and participate in a function organised by the CII.

He would then leave for Madurai to inaugurate the World Congress on Clinical Prevention Cardiology through Video-Conferencing and stay overnight at the Circuit House there.

On September 23, he would deliver the 16th Convocation address of Mother Teresa Women's University at Kodaikanal before meeting his Physics Professor at Dindigul. He would then visit the Gandhigram Rural Institute-Deemed University, and proceed to his home town of Rameswaram to meet his elder brother and his relatives. From Rameswaram Dr Kalam would return to Madurai to meet Dr P Namperumalsamy, brother of Arvind Eye Hospital Founder Dr Govindasamy and stay overnight at the Circuit House.

On September 24, he would visit Koviloor Aadheenam at Koviloor Math and 'Al Jamiul Munavvar Masjid'. After addressing the students at Karaikudi Alagappa University, he would dedicate to the nation the Centre for Nano-technology and Advanced Biomaterials at SASTRA, Deemed University, Thanjavur, amd visit Periyar PURA Village at Muthuveerakandiyanpatti, the Tamil University before winding up his tour by participating in the Golden Jubilee celebrations of A Veeriya Vandayar Memorial Sri Pushpam College.

He would leave for Tiruchirapalli en route to New Delhi in the evening.

Meanwhile, police have made elaborate security arrangements in all the districts where Dr Kalam has his engagements.

Official sources said more than 5,000 police personnel would be deployed on security duty on all the three days.

As a precautionary measure, the Nagercoil district administration has banned fishing for two days on September 21 and 22. The two Sri Lankan Refugee camps at Kalliyakaviali and Perumalpuram would be sealed during the President's visit to Kanniyakumari.

The major tourist attractions -- Thiruvalluvar Statue and the Vivekananda Rock memorial at Kanniyakumari -- have been kept out of bounds for two days. Boat services to these spots would also remain suspended, official sources said.

UNI