NEW DELHI: After initially rejecting the United States request for a no-fly zone over Rajpath on Republic Day, for which US President Barack Obama will be the chief guest, India has now given in. On 26th Jan, New Delhi will be sealed with unprecedented security arrangements on the ground and even in the air.
Firstpost reports that agreeing to make the area around the main venue- Rajpath a no-fly zone, Indian security agencies said no plane would be permitted within a radius of 400 kms as against 300 kms on earlier occasions. This means airports adjoining Delhi like Jaipur, Agra and as far as Lucknow or Amritsar may not operate flights when the function will be on in the national capital. This is in addition to unprecedented ground-to-air security drills. No drones will be used, as had been suggested by American security agencies.
Security agencies also plan to partly or completely shut down 71 high rise buildings in the vicinity of Rajpath. Earlier, we used to shutdown only around 45 buildings from which Rajpath was directly visible but this time we will occupy 71 buildings which are in close proximity of the parade venue. The new buildings we will dominate this time are mostly high rises from where Rajpath may not be directly visible but from where projectiles can be launched,” a senior police official told Press Trust of India.
Police will take over these buildings around 1 pm on January 25 and sanitise every nook and corner of these buildings manually. Snipers will be positioned on the roof tops of these buildings after that.
A seven-layer security ring will reportedly be thrown around the VVIP enclosure on Rajpath for the Republic Day parade. The airspace over the area will be monitored by a radar to be specially set up. This will be part of the ground-to-air security drill during Obama visit, which will take him to Agra too. A multi-agency control room will monitor the surveillance operations in every area of the national capital which has been put on the highest alert.
Sticking to past practice, no plane will land or take off at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi during the time when Republic Day celebrations will be on at Rajpath.
Earlier, US authorities had demanded a 5-km-radius no-fly zone imposed around Rajpath. The would have led to the traditional fly past being cancelled- a request that the Indian military authorities shot down saying that it lasted only for around 10 minutes. Even on Wednesday as Indian officials agreed to a no fly-zone, they made sure the fly past was not cancelled.
Among the novelties- Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) are likely to be deployed for the very first time on Republic Day for vigil from the skies during the parade where US President Barack Obama will be the Chief Guest. This is being done in view of the heightened threat perception and apprehensions of aerial attack by terrorists.
The AWACS will monitor air space over and around Rajpath where the parade will be witnessed by Obama along with President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of other dignitaries. The AWACS detects incoming cruise missiles and aircraft from over 400-km away in all-weather conditions, and direction of air defence fighters besides picking up any low flying object which go undetected by normal radars.
The US Secret Service, CIA, Navy Seals and India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Intelligence Bureau, paramilitary forces and Army will be working together round-the-clock to ensure the safety of the two leaders of the two largest democracies who face immense threats from global terrorist groups.
Indias Border Security Force, which comes under the Home Ministry, has stepped up security along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir, deploying close to 1,200 additional personnel there in view of the US President’s visit to India.
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