Security has been beefed up all over Chennai on the eve of the one-day visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch the First National Handloom Day.
PM Modi would present Sant Kabir Awards and National Awards for handloom weavers on the occasion.
Multiple layers of security have been put up for the high- profile visit, with top police officials directly supervising the security arrangements.
Police have sanitised the venue – Centenary Auditorium of Madras University – and have since Thursday morning taken the premises under their control with traffic restrictions around the venue.
Though it is expected that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and PM Modi may meet, sources in both the AIADMK and the BJP neither confirmed nor denied the possibility of the meeting. Government sources did not comment either.
As per protocol, the Chief Minister usually receives the Prime Minister at the airport and Ms Jayalalithaa did so last year on June 30 when PM Modi arrived in Chennai enroute to Sriharikota to witness a satellite launch.
It was then a brief stopover for PM Modi when he had a 15-minute meeting with Ms Jayalalithaa at the airport.
The Prime Minister would also launch ‘India Handloom’ brand during his visit in Chennai.
“An exhibition showcasing master creations of the awardees is also being inaugurated on the occasion in the adjacent senate building of Madras University,” says an official release.
On the occasion of the first National Handloom Day, the Prime Minister is scheduled to confer Sant Kabir awards and National awards for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 to distinguished handloom personalities.