Kolkata turns fortress for Hillary visit
7 May 2012 4:36 AM GMT
Kolkata has been turned in to a fort to cope with the tight security the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, needs on her visit to Kolkata. The former First Lady arrived in the city on Sunday and the city transformed in to a high security hotspot.
In fact all flights at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose airport were halted from the time Hillary Clinton’s plane appeared on the radar till her convoy left the tarmac.
Clinton, in a suit dark glasses, was escorted out along with her entourage by paramilitary Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel and US Bureau of Diplomatic Security officers.
A dummy convoy was sent half an hour before Clinton’s convoy while city police officers scanned the route well in advance. Special officers were deputed to keep away stray animals from her way.
A presidential suite and the entire floor has been reserved for her in south Kolkata’s Taj Bengal hotel.
A team of over 40 policemen including three combat teams is to remain posted around the hotel. Special arrangements have been made for the hotel staff allowed to access Clinton’s floor.
Shops in and around the hotel had been ordered to remain shut while visitors to the hotel have also been restricted, said a hotel official.
The establishments in the city where the diplomat is scheduled to visit including the state secretariat - the Writers’ Building - have been cordoned off and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officers are frequenting the places to ensure foolproof security for the diplomat.
The Writers’ Building, a cluster of 13 four-storeyed buildings with their impressive Corinthian facade where Clinton is slated to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been barricaded with the central gate ordered to be closed by 9 am on Monday, two hours before the scheduled talks. Excepting the two leaders, all other ministers and officials will enter the building through a side gate.
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The entry of the media has been restricted. Only photojournalists and video camera-persons will be allowed inside while the entry of reporters has been banned.
Vehicular movement, while Clinton’s convoy is on the move, has been restricted and no stationary vehicle has been allowed on the route.
Divisional commissioners have been ordered to ensure the route is free from hawkers and vendors.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations auditorium where Clinton attended a cultural programme on Sunday was also fortified and roads to and from the ICCR remained closed for public movement during her entire stay.
Clinton later headed for the Victoria Memorial museum. Other then photo and video journalists, no media persons were allowed inside. CCTVs, metal detectors and other surveillance gadgets have been installed at strategic places.
CLINTON'S FIRST STOP: WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
Amidst strict security regulations, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton interacted with young women rescued from human traffickers and listened to their tales.
The visit to Kolkata Sanved, an NGO looking after victims of human trafficking, was the first event on her itinerary after arriving on Sunday.
Clad in a dark suit, Clinton, 64, clapped enthusiastically during a four-minute welcome dance by the women at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations' Rabindranath Tagore Centre. She encouraged the performers and asked about details and significance of the performance from Sohini Chakraborty, founder of Kolkata Sanved.Â
The seven-member dance troupe had been practicing round-the-clock for the dance which gave a glimpse of India's rich heritage to Clinton, who is known for her initiatives to promote women's empowerment.
Chakraborty, a sociologist and dance activist, told her how dance therapy helped the girls heal the agony and psychological trauma they had endured in the past.
The former US first lady spoke to some victims of trafficking, seeking to know the ordeal they had undergone and comforted them. While the girls were overwhelmed with the presence of the Secretary of State, they still had the courage to narrate the nightmares they had faced and how they managed to rehabilitate themselves to normal life.
In fact all flights at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose airport were halted from the time Hillary Clinton’s plane appeared on the radar till her convoy left the tarmac.
Clinton, in a suit dark glasses, was escorted out along with her entourage by paramilitary Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel and US Bureau of Diplomatic Security officers.
A dummy convoy was sent half an hour before Clinton’s convoy while city police officers scanned the route well in advance. Special officers were deputed to keep away stray animals from her way.
A presidential suite and the entire floor has been reserved for her in south Kolkata’s Taj Bengal hotel.
A team of over 40 policemen including three combat teams is to remain posted around the hotel. Special arrangements have been made for the hotel staff allowed to access Clinton’s floor.
Shops in and around the hotel had been ordered to remain shut while visitors to the hotel have also been restricted, said a hotel official.
The establishments in the city where the diplomat is scheduled to visit including the state secretariat - the Writers’ Building - have been cordoned off and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officers are frequenting the places to ensure foolproof security for the diplomat.
The Writers’ Building, a cluster of 13 four-storeyed buildings with their impressive Corinthian facade where Clinton is slated to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been barricaded with the central gate ordered to be closed by 9 am on Monday, two hours before the scheduled talks. Excepting the two leaders, all other ministers and officials will enter the building through a side gate.
-
The entry of the media has been restricted. Only photojournalists and video camera-persons will be allowed inside while the entry of reporters has been banned.
Vehicular movement, while Clinton’s convoy is on the move, has been restricted and no stationary vehicle has been allowed on the route.
Divisional commissioners have been ordered to ensure the route is free from hawkers and vendors.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations auditorium where Clinton attended a cultural programme on Sunday was also fortified and roads to and from the ICCR remained closed for public movement during her entire stay.
Clinton later headed for the Victoria Memorial museum. Other then photo and video journalists, no media persons were allowed inside. CCTVs, metal detectors and other surveillance gadgets have been installed at strategic places.
CLINTON'S FIRST STOP: WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
Amidst strict security regulations, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton interacted with young women rescued from human traffickers and listened to their tales.
The visit to Kolkata Sanved, an NGO looking after victims of human trafficking, was the first event on her itinerary after arriving on Sunday.
Clad in a dark suit, Clinton, 64, clapped enthusiastically during a four-minute welcome dance by the women at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations' Rabindranath Tagore Centre. She encouraged the performers and asked about details and significance of the performance from Sohini Chakraborty, founder of Kolkata Sanved.Â
The seven-member dance troupe had been practicing round-the-clock for the dance which gave a glimpse of India's rich heritage to Clinton, who is known for her initiatives to promote women's empowerment.
Chakraborty, a sociologist and dance activist, told her how dance therapy helped the girls heal the agony and psychological trauma they had endured in the past.
The former US first lady spoke to some victims of trafficking, seeking to know the ordeal they had undergone and comforted them. While the girls were overwhelmed with the presence of the Secretary of State, they still had the courage to narrate the nightmares they had faced and how they managed to rehabilitate themselves to normal life.
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