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IAF-led multi-agency plan for 24x7 security on anvil

A multi-agency plan, that includes the armed forces, especially the air force, is on the anvil to provide 24x7x365 security coverage to seven cities of the country: New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

The security plan includes sensors like ground-based radars, airborne surveillance systems, air defence fighter aircrafts, ballistic missile defence systems etc, which are meant to be integrated with a command and control systems like the air force’s integrated air command and control system (IACCS) the inputs of which can be commonly used by the attached agencies of the government.

But, knowledgeable sources say, full roll-out of the plan is slow as the huge demands for resources cannot be met by a one-time commitment.

These sources say that the idea had originated after the attack on Parliament in 2001. Progressively, over a period of time, cities got added along with the assets that needed to be brought into play to protect them.

Till now, securing New Delhi first had been given a priority which these sources say, has been implemented in about ten per cent of the total spread of the city. This ten percent includes the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) area that includes Parliament, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the ministerial head quarters, the armed forces head quarters, the intelligence agencies, the prime minister’s residence etc.

A former senior air force official, reflecting on the plan said: ‘In one meeting, I was shown a square sized area of the locations. There was this road and that road. I refused to acknowledge that kind of classification. I wanted a circle within which we could operate.’

Mumbai has been having fairly extended radar coverage and surveillance from the existing space crafts have also been augmenting the capacity. A retired senior air force official talked about some of the satellites being controlled by the air force, including ‘opening and closing of cameras.’

The selection of the cities has been based on their strategic imporatance. For example, Hyderabad and Bangalore were included because of their importance of the information technology based industries. Guwahati has been included because it is at the heart of the north-east.

A senior retired official, however, refused to speculate about how much of the work has been done in the other cities besides Delhi or Mumbai. He said that some of the elements of security plan was  to be undertaken by the state. And then there was still the ‘resources issue.’


SECURING NATION
  • The plan is to  provide 24x7x365 security coverage to seven cities of the country: New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Bangalore

  • The security plan includes sensors like ground-based radars, airborne surveillance systems, air defence fighter aircrafts, ballistic missile defence systems etc, which are meant to be integrated with a command and control systems like the air force’s integrated air command and control system
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