Kaanum Pongal: More at zoo, less on beach

  • | Friday | 18th January, 2019

"This concept of volunteers assisting elderly people is a blessing for people like me," said Easwari, a resident of Triplicane , who visits the beach every year on the occasion.Vandalur zoo recorded 43,431 visitors on Kaanum Pongal day. This was reflected in the crowd at Marina, one of the popular spots to celebrate Kaanum Pongal in the city.Besides Marina, people also visited Anna and MGR memorials. Last year on the day, the zoo received 37,880 visitors, said zoo deputy director Sudha Ramen. As is customary, residents made the most of Kaanum Pongal, the last day of the Pongal festival, thronging popular spots besides visiting relatives on Thursday.With the festival holidays taking up most of the week, many had left the city to visit friends and relatives and on leisure trips. They fed them and made announcements on public address system, urging parents to reach the police booth.Senior citizens were assisted by volunteers.

As is customary, residents made the most of Kaanum Pongal, the last day of the Pongal festival, thronging popular spots besides visiting relatives on Thursday.With the festival holidays taking up most of the week, many had left the city to visit friends and relatives and on leisure trips. This was reflected in the crowd at Marina, one of the popular spots to celebrate Kaanum Pongal in the city.Besides Marina, people also visited Anna and MGR memorials. Police said this time the crowd was not as much as anticipated.At Marina, police had placed temporary booths and made announcements urging parents to get ID tags for children. Thirteen children who got separated from their families were reunited. Police turned babysitters for the children who got separated. They fed them and made announcements on public address system, urging parents to reach the police booth.Senior citizens were assisted by volunteers. "This concept of volunteers assisting elderly people is a blessing for people like me," said Easwari, a resident of Triplicane , who visits the beach every year on the occasion.Vandalur zoo recorded 43,431 visitors on Kaanum Pongal day. Last year on the day, the zoo received 37,880 visitors, said zoo deputy director Sudha Ramen. At the Children’s Park in Guindy, the number of visitors on the day was almost same as last year’s — 15,800, said Chennai Wildlife Warden C H Padma.At both the facilities, children were tagged and college students as volunteers collected single-use plastic bags from visitors and provided them with paper bags."Continuous monitoring ensured zero crime at Marina," said joint commissioner of police, east, V Balakrishnan.Traffic restrictions caused inconvenience to those on their way back home in the evening.

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