Times of India
Mangalore, Mar 28: Congress leaders have modified Rahul Gandhi’s schedule to include visits to religious places and heads, during his visit to the city on Wednesday.
The last-minute inclusions will take him to Gokarnatheshwara temple at Kudroli, Light House Hill Idgah and the Bishop’s House at Kodialbail. These changes have made even the traffic police change its already finalized plans.
Traffic inspector Subrahmanya said there would be no traffic diversions but from 10.45 am to 4.45 pm, parking has been banned on roads to be used by Rahul’s entourage. This would mean that the road leading from the helipad at Maryhill to Circuit House, Kadri, to TMA Pai Hall via Bunts Hostel Road, PVS Circle to Urwa Church, Lady Hill to Kudroli, Kodialbail area and Light House Hill Road would be under police vigil till Rahul exits from those points in the city.
Rahul, according to the earlier schedule, was to address students at TMA Pai Hall (11.10 am to 12 noon), meet fishermen/ women at Urwa Church Hall (12 noon to 1 pm), St Agnes Special School (2.30 pm to 2.45 pm) and interaction with Congress and Youth Congress at Town Hall, from 3.20 pm to 4.15 pm. The interval between the visit to the Special School and Town Hall will be used to visit the religious places, said a source.
The police conducted dry runs twice on Tuesday evening, creating traffic snarls and giving the people a taste of things to come on Wednesday. Congress leader Thejomaya, who is looking at the organizational part here, said the first programme will have around 1,200-1,500 students and the meet will be organized on the ground floor. Already, 400 fishermen/ women have been chosen for the Urwa Hall programme, and they would be made to sit in 10 booths of 40 each. They would have the special privilege of having lunch with Rahul.
State leaders Mallikarjuna Kharge and B L Shankar will attend the Town Hall programme as per the schedule on Tuesday evening, said Thejomaya. As the programme has been organized at various places, the interaction with party workers will be restricted to coastal district workers. Police sources said that as the programmes have been scheduled at closed venues, the deployment of personnel would be minimal. As of now, 300 additional police personnel and a battalion of RAF have been put on the job.