Chennai Police Step Up Security for Independence Day, Declare Red Zone in Neelankarai

The Greater Chennai Police (GCP) have stepped up security arrangements across the city ahead of the 80th Independence Day celebrations, placing key locations near Fort St. George and Neelankarai under heightened vigilance. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is scheduled to hoist the national flag at the ramparts of Fort St. George on Saturday as part of the official state function.

To ensure complete security during the celebrations, police have designated key areas in and around the Secretariat, as well as the entire transit route to be taken by the Chief Minister from his residence in Neelankarai to the Secretariat, as a "Red Zone".

Within this designated Red Zone, the flying of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), drones, and all other aerial objects is completely prohibited on August 14 and August 15. According to the police, the only exception to this restriction will be for official government-authorised operations.

These specific measures build on existing broader regulations across the city. Orders previously issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, along with sub-section (2) of Section 14 of the BNSS, remain in force across all GCP limits from June 19 to August 17.

Under these ongoing regulations, the operation of drones, remotely controlled micro-light aircraft, paragliders, paramotors, hang gliders, hot-air balloons, and other aerial objects is strictly prohibited throughout the Greater Chennai Police jurisdiction.