Keeping in view the demonstrations and protests in front of the Chief Minister’s residence Naveen Niwas here, the Home Department has decided to seal the road in front of the house to provide it foolproof security.
As the area is a high-security zone, the Home Department is mulling to impose prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in the area near the city airport round the year. For the commuters, a new road would be constructed by demolishing the boundary of the airport in front of the Naveen Niwas and the vehicular traffic would be diverted to the new route, said official sources.
The Home Department is planning to demolish the airport boundary wall in front of the Naveen Niwas.
The General Administration (GA) Department has decided to exchange 3.200 acre of land with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to bolster the security of the CM’s residence. The new road would be constructed on the acquired land for public transport. later, the road in front of the Naveen Niwas would be sealed forever, the sources said.
Following completion of land acquisition process, a two-lane road from Old Airport Square to Punama Gate would be constructed, the sources said. The AAI has given the green signal for exchange of the land. The project is expected to be completed in three years.
Notably, the Special Security Battalion (SSB), which has been raised specifically for VVIP security and protecting important installations in the State, is deployed for the security of the Naveen Niwas. Nearly 150 SSB personnel, besides local police and the State Armed Police, provide round-the-clock security to the CM’s residence.
But in spite of the high security, demonstrators have managed to sneak into the area and hold demonstrations a number of times. A retrenched Home Guard also immolated himself in the sensitive area, putting a question mark on the preparedness of the security personnel.