With a few hours left for the Independence Day celebration, the Delhi police beefed up security arrangements in the city by deploying over 10,000 cops and 3,000 traffic police personnel, officials said.
All borders of the national capital will be sealed for the entry of commercial and heavy vehicles by Thursday midnight apart from heavy police deployment, they said.
Additionally, 700 AI-based facial recognition cameras have been installed in Central and New Delhi, they added.
"All borders of the national capital from Haryana-Delhi and Uttar Pradesh-Delhi will be sealed after 11.30 pm on Wednesday for the entry of commercial heavy vehicles movements. The vehicles which will enter the national capital will be checked properly," a senior police officer said.
"We conducted mock drills at Connaught Place and Parliament Street as New Delhi is considered VVIP area. We have deployed additional force to maintain law and order," deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla said.
Additional police teams and paramilitary forces have been deployed at various locations including IGI Airport, railway stations, bus stands, malls, metro stations and markets, the officials said.
On the occasion of Independence Day, more than 3,000 traffic police personnel will be deployed to regulate the traffic and at major junctions across the national capital, and also on roads connecting the border to the Red Fort.
"Deployment of security agencies have already been made in Red Fort. We have procured 700 AI-based facial recognition CCTV cameras to ensure robust security arrangements for Independence Day," a senior police officer said.
These cameras have high-resolution pan-tilt-zoom features, allowing identification of a person from a distance, the officer said.
A smartphone-based application will be used to verify the identity of people coming to attend the event at the Red Fort, he said.
In addition, snipers, elite SWAT commandos, kite catchers and sharpshooters will be positioned at strategic locations for the security of the prime minister and other VVIP guests, he added.
Meanwhile, police have issued a traffic advisory, imposing certain restrictions on movement around the Red Fort area on Thursday for the convenience of those invited at the main and for security reasons.
It also reiterated the prohibition imposed on August 1 on the flying of sub-conventional aerial platforms such as para-gliders, UAVs, hot air balloons and small size powered aircraft over the city till Thursday.
