Security has been intensified at Chennai Airport and along key city routes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Chennai on October 11, with additional checks, surveillance and movement restrictions being introduced across the airport and programme venues.
A team of Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel from Delhi, led by ADGP Amit Kumar, has arrived in Chennai to oversee arrangements for the visit, according to reports. A consultative meeting was held at the old airport terminal on Thursday evening under Kumar’s leadership.
Senior officials from Chennai Airport, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Chennai City Police, agencies responsible for protecting dignitaries, state and central government protocol departments, and intelligence agencies attended the meeting. The discussions covered the Prime Minister’s arrival, movements across the city and departure arrangements.
Modi is scheduled to arrive at the old Chennai Airport terminal at 11.10 am on a special flight from Delhi. He is then expected to travel by road to Porur for the inauguration of the Porur Metro Rail project. From Porur, he will proceed to IIT Madras in Guindy for government programmes before travelling to the Chennai Trade Centre in Nandambakkam for other scheduled events.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to return to the old airport and depart for Delhi at 4 pm, making the visit a planned five-hour movement through several parts of the city. The original plan reportedly included helicopter travel from Chennai Airport to Porur. That plan has since been changed, with all movements during the visit expected to take place by road.
The change has increased the security requirements along the travel routes. Roadshows are also being considered at certain locations, according to the report, prompting the SPG to seek additional arrangements along the roads connecting the airport, Porur, Guindy and Nandambakkam.
Security at the old airport has been placed under SPG control for three days, from Friday through Sunday night. The enhanced measures include a ban on drones and inflatable balloons in the vicinity of Chennai Airport. Permanent employees of courier and cargo companies operating within the old airport complex have been instructed to display their photo identity cards around their necks while on duty.
Temporary staff have been barred from reporting for duty at the courier and cargo establishments and in airport runway maintenance areas during the three-day period. Authorities have also intensified surveillance inside the airport and in surrounding areas, including checks at nearby hotels and lodges to identify suspicious persons.
The airport will continue to operate its standard three-tier security protocol, with additional checks and surveillance introduced for the Prime Minister’s visit. Airport officials said the enhanced measures would remain in force until Sunday night.
