Security has been beefed up in the national Capital with around 25,000 personnel of the Delhi Police and paramilitary forces keeping a tight vigil to ensure incident-free Republic Day celebrations.
Impregnable ground-to-air security apparatus has been put in place, especially on the 8 km-long route for Republic Day parade from Raisina Hill to Red Fort. During the parade, spotters and snipers will be positioned on highrise buildings while officials will keep a tab on all movements between Rajpath and Red Fort with over 160 CCTV cameras installed in the area.
A central monitoring centre has also been established where the CCTV footage will be relayed live and top officials will constantly review the security detail in real time. Those on ground will also keep them abreast about the situation.
“The entire stretch will be sanitised several times manually with metal detectors and sniffer dogs. Every possible step will be taken to ensure foolproof security during the event,” a senior police official said. Security personnel have identified vulnerable spots like crowded markets, railway stations, bus stands and other high-value establishments and efforts have been made to secure them. Traffic Police will also deploy around 1,500 personnel to manage route diversions during the parade. The official said SWAT teams of the Delhi Police, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters of National Security Guard (NSG) will also be deployed at various places while paramilitary and Delhi Police commandos will keep a close watch along the parade route.