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With the Karthigai Deepam festival being celebrated today, the Thoothukudi city market in Tamil Nadu witnessed brisk activity from the early hours, as large quantities of agricultural produce arrived for sale. With essential items for the festival in abundance, the market wore a vibrant, festive look.
Banana stems, banana leaves, coconuts, lemons, and palm leaves used for making kozhukattai, and Karthigai earthen lamps were brought in from various parts of the region to meet the heightened demand ahead of the festival. Vendors said, "Whenever the Karthigai festival approaches, sales in the Thoothukudi market increase significantly. Even though there has been rain this time..." Meanwhile, Tiruvannamalai has also intensified preparations with an extensive security and traffic management plan to handle the massive influx of devotees arriving for the ongoing Karthigai Deepam festival. The festival, which began on November 24, will continue till December 7. To ensure smooth movement and public safety, authorities will deploy more than 15,000 police personnel across the temple town. As part of crowd-monitoring arrangements, 24 watch towers have been erected, and police teams will be stationed at all major entry points leading to the Arunachaleswarar Temple. Strict checks will be conducted, and only vehicles with valid permits will be allowed into restricted zones. With vehicle entry heavily restricted on Maha Deepam day, traffic diversions have been planned across the town. Devotees will be directed to designated parking areas and temporary bus terminals set up on the outskirts. To enhance surveillance, the administration has installed 1,060 CCTV cameras, including 303 inside the temple premises. Officials have identified 26 sensitive locations where additional patrolling, watch towers, and intensified monitoring are already in place. Anticipating an extraordinary rush, the district administration has arranged 24 temporary bus termini capable of accommodating 2,325 buses. A fleet of 4,764 special buses, running 11,293 trips, will operate from various districts, especially on December 3 and 4. Multiple regular bus routes have also been diverted to ensure unobstructed movement for emergency vehicles and festival operations. Authorities have urged devotees to follow the restrictions and utilise the special transport services for a smooth, safe, and spiritually uplifting Maha Deepam experience. (ANI)
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