NEW DELHI: The safety and security of the foreign delegates, especially the heads of the states, taking part in the G20 Summit in the national capital is of paramount importance when they will be travelling from their hotels to specified places of visit within the capital.
Senior officials privy to the security arrangements told this newspaper that they have made adequate arrangements be it on the security front or the management of the traffic during that particular period.
“For at least 40 carcades, we have deployed 40 Traffic DCPs that will take care of the arrangments when the head of the foreign states will travel from their hotels to their destination,” a senior official said.
He said that whenever a delegation would leave the hotel for either Bharat Mandapam or Raj Ghat, their carcade will be led by a DCP-level officer who would move in his vehicle in front of that carcade, providing a special security cover to the dignitary. The Traffic DCPs would be always deployed outside the hotels where the foreign delegates are staying.
“We have even deployed three DCP-level officers near the Pragati Maidan to regulate traffic and will also make arrangements for the parking of the vehicles that are coming to that location for the Summit,” the official said. The New Delhi district i.e the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) area has been completely turned into an impregnable fortress by the police and other security agencies. High-rise buildings in the area have also been sealed and snipers deployed atop them.
Apart from the buildings in the NDMC area, the official said that they have identified nearly 100 critical areas at the venue where they will be keeping a close vigil through CCTV cameras. When asked about those areas, the official said these areas include where there is a large movement of people or vehicles like entry/exit points. Meanwhile, it was officially revealed that the power department has ensured that the venue Bharat Mandapam would get an unhindered power supply during the summit days.
“To make sure there is no problem and the power supply remains uninterrupted, three new transformers have been installed at the Pragati Maidan,” another official said. The police conducted a full dress carcade rehearsal on Sunday (September 3), impacting vehicular traffic across the city. The police held the rehearsals on Saturday (September 2) as well. Last Wednesday, rehearsals took place at Janpath Road while on Tuesday, the Outer Ring Road near Indraprastha Park, C-Hexagon and Sardar Patel Marg saw congestion due to the rehearsals. The rehearsals were held from 8 to 9 AM, 9.30 AM to 10.30 AM and 12.30 PM to 4 PM. The Delhi Police said there would be traffic restrictions at arterial roads and several locations.