Kolkata: As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s West Bengal unit is gearing up for the upcoming mega show of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Kolkata's brigade parade ground on Sunday, the City of Joy has been virtually covered with a tight security blanket by the police and security agencies coming from the Centre.
The rally will mark the culmination of the BJP's state-wide Parivartan Yatra that covered the state's 294 assembly constituencies.
The security agencies have put up four-layered barricades in front of the podium from where PM Modi is slated to address an expected gathering of more than 7 lakhs supporters. Along with the main dais there will be two more small platforms: one for local BJP leaders and another for mediapersons.
As many as 1,500 CCTV cameras will be installed in and around the brigade parade ground that is known to be the only green lung of Kolkata. A central monitoring control room will be set up behind the main stage, sources said. The entire ground will be barricaded with wooden logs to control the crowd movements, sources said.
Restrictions will also also be imposed on vehicular movements, especially on goods vehicles, in busy stretches like Hastings, Cathedral Road, Khidirpur, AJC Bose Road and Hospital Road. No outside goods vehicle will be allowed to enter Kolkata on March 7 before 8 pm, police said.
The entire security mechanism will be monitored by the Special Protection Group (SPG) officials along with the Kolkata Police.
A team of SPG commandos has already arrived in Kolkata, days before PM Modi's scheduled arrival. The movements of trams will also be suspended near the brigade parade ground area on Sunday.