Police Deny Permission For Jagan’s Road Show, Cite ICC Match And Safety Concerns
Visakhapatnam: Former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Mohan Reddy’s plan to hold a road show from Visakhapatnam airport to Makkavaripalem was thwarted by the police. Police cited public safety concerns and traffic disruptions during the ICC World Cup match.
Addressing the media, city police commissioner Sankhabrata Bagchi announced the decision to reject the road show permit. “On October 9, Jagan Mohan Reddy will arrive at Vizag airport at 11 am. His schedule includes traveling to Makkavaripalem by road, starting at 2.45 pm and returning to the airport at 4.45 pm,” Bagchi said. he said.
“The timing coincides with the ICC World Cup match in Visakhapatnam and this requires extensive security arrangements and traffic management. There will be massive checking and bandobasting for the World Cup match. We cannot risk anything going wrong in this regard,” the commissioner said.
The proposed route covers an area of 11 km along the NH passing through many major junctions. “Given the complexity of the route and the presence of important junctions, we did not allow the road show. We sent them a written communication,” Bagchi said. he said.
The commissioner said: “According to intelligence reports, thousands of supporters were being mobilized to welcome Jagan Mohan Reddy at the airport. More than 500 two-wheelers had already been arranged.”
He expressed concern that the road show would cause inconvenience to ordinary citizens by blocking the NH.
Alternatively, the police offered Jagan Mohan Reddy permission to travel by helicopter. “Can take a helicopter and travel safely.”
Anakapalli district SP Tuhin Sinha also held a media conference and reiterated the decision. He said YSRC leaders had applied for permission for Jagan Reddy to travel by road from Visakhapatnam airport to Makkavaripalem, 63 km away. “There is information that they are planning to hold a public rally at important junctions in NH. This will disrupt traffic and create inconvenience to the public,” he said.
“Recently, there was a stampede in Karur city of Tamil Nadu, in which 41 people lost their lives. We are taking steps to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.”
