Air-tight security in place for I-Day

Teams of specialised officers and commandos have been created to handle cases of attacks in crowded places or hostage situations,sources said.

The government has already made public the intelligence inputs about possible Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) strikes in Delhi,Kolkata and Hyderabad ahead of the August 15 celebrations. “We are deploying personnel in abundance and not taking any chances,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) S N Srivastava said.

Forty CCTV cameras will be installed in and around the Red Fort,while sharpshooters of the National Security Guard will be deployed at highrises near the monument. Agencies are also zeroing in on ‘safety houses’ where the Prime Minister and other VIPs can be taken to in case of a terror strike.

A senior police official said localities around the Red Fort have been sanitised and informers have been deployed to keep a check on movement of anti-national elements. Quick Reaction Teams,Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Vajra (of the Rapid Action Force) are being deployed,the official said.

A no-fly zone will be put in place around the Red Fort during the nearly 90-minute function while the airspace would be closed for seven hours — from 6 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 7 pm.

Besides the Red Fort and surrounding areas,intense vigil will be maintained at key installations like Parliament complex,IGI Airport,railway stations,inter-state bus terminals and Metro stations.

A coordination meeting was held between the Delhi Police and their counterparts in adjoining districts of UP and Haryana to intensify checking at border points. The forces may also deploy spotters from other states to identify miscreants,officials said. Goods vehicles will not be allowed entry into the city from 12 am till 11 am on August 15.