I-day: Security up at Metro, IGI; 600 addl personnel deployed

NEW DELHI: Security measures at the Delhi Metro and the IGI airport have been stepped up with the induction of over 600 fresh CISF personnel and commuters are being thoroughly frisked in view of the heightened vigil in the run up to the Independence Day on August 15, official sources said. They said while passengers in the Delhi Metro are being twice frisked before entering the Delhi Metro stations, additional CISF quick reaction teams (QRTS) and flying squads have been deployed at select stations that witness a heavy footfall or are important from the security point of view.

The Central Industrial Security Force, that is tasked to secure over 210 stations of the metro in the national capital region, has enhanced the number of security personnel in the network to keep a better eye on the people and their luggage, the officials said. Passengers getting in at a number of metro stations are being frisked twice, first manually and later with a hand-held metal detector, they said, adding that instructions have been issued to the personnel to render the job scrupulously but without taking much time. "About 500 CISF personnel have been deployed additionally in the Delhi Metro network as part of the stepped up security measures in the wake of the Independence Day celebrations on August 15," a senior official said.

CISF metro security chief Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Raghubir Lal told that they have already held meetings with various stakeholders like the Delhi Police, metro authori- ties and others as part of the drills undertaken to fortify security before August 15. "A new control room, armed with over 5,000 CCTVS and other smart tools, has recently been commissioned for the CISF and it will help us in better monitoring operations at stations under its surveillance cover," the DIG said.

Special teams of multi-wearing intelligence and passenger profiling sleuths have been deployed at various stations and they have been asked to keep an eye on a few stations by continuously moving between them, another official said on the condition of anonymity. "While there is no specific threat this time, the security is on high alert. All civilian passes issued to people for entering the terminal areas of the airport have been disallowed as a routine practice," an official at the airport said.

The Central Industrial Security Force is tasked to secure over 210 stations of the metro in the national capital region