Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File Photo)

CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Adyar Cancer Institute to inaugurate few facilities on Thursday has kicked up a controversy, as authorities are preparing a helipad on the IIT Madras campus for the purpose. A compound wall shared by the Children’s Park and the cancer institute has also been demolished. All three campuses are close to the Guindy National Park , which is the country’s only reserved forest in the heart of a city.

The wall that divides the Children’s Park and Cancer Institute campus on Sardar Patel Road was torn down to make parking space for the PM’s convoy in Children’s Park, facilitating direct entry to the hospital. “We don’t have adequate parking space on our campus. This is a temporary arrangement. We will rebuild the wall after the PM’s visit,” said Dr Shanta, chairman of the Adyar Cancer Institute.

Security personnel conducted mock convoy drills on Tuesday, ahead of Modi’s proposed visit to the city on April 12, to inaugurate DefExpo–2018 being held at Thiruvidanthai on East Coast Road (ECR). He will also unveil a day-care facility, a nursing quarters, a diamond jubilee building at the cancer institute and a palliative care centre in Sriperumbudur during his visit.

Plans to land a chopper close to the reserve park area has been criticised by naturalists. Madras Naturalists’ Society member V Santharam said the movement of helicopter in a small area would traumatise the endangered black buck and spotted deer population in the vicinity. The institute’s campus has around 30 black bucks including fawns.

In the past too, attempts were made to create a helipad inside the Guindy National Park campus. However, opposition from activists and media stalled the initiatives.

Adyar Cancer Institute chairman Dr Shanta wrote to Prime Minister Modi in January, requesting him to visit the centre to inaugurate four facilities. and received a positive reply on it last week. “On April 2, they told that the PM will be visiting Chennai on April 12. They told us we will receive a confirmation soon. We got that late last night,” said Dr Shanta.

Modi will be at the cancer centre for an hour from 12.50pm. The hospital, she said, is planning to put his visit to best use. Due to security reasons, Modi will not be visiting many wards or touring the hospital. “I don’t want to ask him for anything. I want him to understand the problems of a non-government voluntary organisation. The idea is to let him ponder over what more the government can do for an organisation like ours,” she said.

Security arrangements were beefed up, as several political parties and organisations have announced that they would show black flags to Modi during the visit. At least 5,000 police personnel have been deployed in and around the expo venue to ensure security. Indian Coast Guard and coastal security group CID officials have also been roped in to monitor the state’s coast to narrow down the infiltrators through sea.

