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Elaborate security for I-Day

       New Delhi/ Srinagar/ Kolkata/ Mumbai: Elaborate and fool-proof security measures have been put in place across the country to thwart any attempt to disrupt the Independence Day celebrations. Anti-terrorist squads have been deployed at and around key installations in the country, including nuclear plants, airports and places of large gathering.

    Curfew has been imposed in and around the eight kilometers radius of the two atomic power plants at Kalpakkam since Sunday midnight. The curfew would remain in force from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The step has been taken as a precautionary measure. As an additional security cover, two Naval ships have also been positioned in the seas off Kalpakkam, Navy sources said. Security in the national capital has been the tightest since the attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001 following intelligence reports indicating militants' plans to carry out suicide attacks at important and historical places. New Delhi has been declared a no-fly zone for the Independence Day.

    It was decided at a high-level meeting to review security arrangements that no vehicular traffic would be allowed in the areas surrounding the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address the nation on August 15. Snipers, metal detectors, x-ray machines, sniffer dogs, radio frequency jammers and security cameras were also being deployed and troops armed with machine guns were patrolling the airport in New Delhi. Elite commandoes of the National Security Guard (NSG) and Indo- Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will guard the Red Fort. Policemen, sharp shooters and air defence guns have been put on guard atop the roof-tops of the old Delhi to ward off possible aerial attacks using unmanned aircraft. The art of kite-flying which has been associated with the Independence Day celebrations has been banned in the areas near the Red Fort. Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) have been deployed at the Indira Gandhi international Airport. Intelligence inputs have it that South Delhi figures high on terrorists' hit-list and that Bangladeshi terrorists might use pen pistols to target VVIPS. The security in South Delhi is being reviewed almost on hourly basis and the vehicles were being subjected to random check. The Delhi Police has prohibited parking of vehicles outside the Lodhi Garden from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Tuesday for security reasons.

     Surveillance at airports has also been increased. The government has announced strict security measures at airports in the wake of the unearthing of a terror plot in Britain and has banned the carrying of liquids or gels by air travellers. Srinagar has been turned into a fortress with security force personnel deployed everywhere to thwart any attempts by militants to disrupt Independence Day celebrations. Besides Jammu and Kashmir Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been put on guard. "We are trying to ensure on August 15, people are able to reach the stadium safely, feeling completely safe. So, as far as the red alert that has been sounded of in the rest of the country, we are always alert since there are always chances of militant attack on August 15 or January 26 in Srinagar" claimed S.N. Sahai, Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police. All the roads leading to the entrance of the Bakshi stadium, the main venue of the Independence Day function in Srinagar, have been closed for civilian traffic with heavy contingent of state police and paramilitary forces manning closed roads. According to Inspector General of CRPF for Kashmir Police, A P Maheshwari, the forces have conducted incident analysis to follow the changing tactics of the militants. "We are using the best available human resources and equipment such as close circuit cameras, X-ray scanners and explosive detectors and we have also switched from normal policing to non policing methods," Maheshwari added.

    Special ID-cards have been issued to security personnel and sharp shooters to avoid a repeat of the May 21 attack on a Congress rally at Shere Kashmir Park in which militants sneaked into a rally disguised as security men and killed three persons. Patrolling along the Line of Control has been intensified round- the-clock to prevent infiltration and suicide attacks by the militants. Troops along the border the Pakistan have been put on high alert. The politicians have been asked to restrict their movements in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, border areas with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh are also being kept under strict vigil. Also, the Indo-Bangladesh border has been sealed and security has been tightened in Tripura region. Border Security Force has launched a special operation to prevent any type of movement during nights. The Tripura State Rifles (TSR), Central Reserve Police Force and Assam Rifles have been posted in the capital city of Agartala and all over the state. "We have put pickets in sensitive places like bus stands, motor stands, and places of gathering. And day and night patrolling in the city areas, specially important areas have been increased and all our staff have been alerted to maintain extra vigil. In the border areas, we have kept BSF informed and BSF also has been alerted," said Nityananda Debnath, Deputy Superintendent of Tripura Police.

     Guwahati has also been in similar security beef ups. The North East Frontier Railway has announced suspension of night services during Independence Day. Following this, the Eastern Railway has short-terminated two trains to the Northeast from Kolkata. Kamrup Express from Howrah on August 14 would run up to Guwahati instead of Dibrugarh and Kanchenjunga Express from Sealdah would run up to New Jalpaiguri instead of Guwahati on August 14 and 15. Security at prominent places in Mumbai has been intensified. The baggages at major suburban railway stations are being undergoing scrutiny. Intensified security arrangements have been made at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the domestic terminal. The IT hubs of the country - Bangalore and Hyderabad have also been given extra security covers. In addition, an advisory has been sent to the 13 Maoist-infested states to maintain a tight vigil.

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