The national capital is being fortified for Independence Day—snipers at high-rise buildings, heightened camera surveillance across the city and more than 11,000 security personnel and 3,000 traffic police for security in and around the Red Fort.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Delhi Police, the Army and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the area for the day, with multiple layers of security in place.
Delhi Traffic Police has issued strict instructions, restricting commercial vehicles from entering the capital after 10 pm on Thursday (August 14), among others.
Special teams have been deployed at all the major railway stations, inter-state bus terminals, airports, and metro stations for round-the-clock monitoring.
Passenger screenings, baggage checks, and random identity verifications have been intensified, the officials said.
Security has also been stepped up at water treatment plants to protect vital installations in the national capital, they said, adding that a special focus is on north and central districts in Delhi.
Delhi Police Commissioner S B K Singh has designated a DCP-rank officer to oversee the anti-drone mechanism, they said, adding that surveillance along the Yamuna has also been intensified with speed boats deployed in the river.
On Wednesday, Singh briefed officers on the arrangements with a key directive to ensure there are no bird feeding points in the areas surrounding the Red Fort.
“The Delhi Police, in coordination with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), has asked non-vegetarian eateries to dispose of food waste properly so flocks of birds are not attracted,” a senior police officer said. This measure aims to prevent any disturbance to helicopter movement on August 15.
Officers were also instructed to remain alert and ensure that all arrangements are executed on time. Traffic personnel were briefed to enforce restrictions and maintain smooth vehicular movement.
Apart from physical deployment, surveillance through CCTV cameras, drone detection systems, and facial recognition cameras and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras will be used to monitor the venue and its surrounding areas, a senior police officer said.
For the first time, under-vehicle surveillance systems (UVSS) will be deployed at five parking areas of the Red Fort to scan the underside of vehicles for explosives, weapons or contraband, the officer said.
The technology uses cameras and scanners to detect threats or anomalies, bolstering security at the checkpoints and sensitive locations.
The admission to Red Fort on August 15 is strictly through invitation cards and only labelled vehicles will be allowed in its vicinity, the officer said.
Headcount cameras to track crowd numbers and devices to flag unattended or suspicious objects will also be deployed, while intrusion-detection cameras will monitor the restricted zones, the officer said.
The special police commissioner (law and order) and deputy commissioners have been directed to maintain strict vigil in their respective jurisdictions, he said.
Snipers and rooftop surveillance teams will be deployed to secure the high-rises near the Red Fort, while movement in the designated restricted zones will be strictly regulated through access control mechanisms, the officer added.
Apart from multiple security drills, night patrolling and enhanced foot patrolling, plain-clothed surveillance teams are being mobilised to strengthen ground presence, especially in the sensitive zones, another officer said.
“Social media platforms are also being closely monitored by the cyber units to detect and neutralise any possible online threats or misinformation campaigns that may disrupt peace,” the officer said.
More than 10,000 security personnel and 3,000 traffic cops, including paramilitary forces and special commandos, have been deployed for the Independence Day week, police said.
Anti-sabotage checks, vehicle barricading, and verification drives are being intensified in coordination with the intelligence agencies, officials said.
Commissioner Singh has also issued an order banning the use of sub-conventional aerial platforms such as paragliders, hang-gliders, UAVs, drones, hot air balloons and other remotely piloted aircraft over Delhi skies between August 2 and August 16.
“These aerial platforms can be potentially misused by anti-social elements or terrorist outfits for para-jumping or launching airborne attacks, posing a serious threat to public safety, VIP security, and critical installations during the Independence Day celebrations,” an official order said.
All district police units have been directed to conduct foot patrolling in the markets, Metro stations, bus terminals, and other public gathering points.
Senior officers have been told to remain on the ground and review the security arrangements personally.
Surprise inspections and flag marches have also been planned across various districts to instil confidence among the citizens and deter the miscreants, officials said.
Delhi Police is working in close coordination with the central security agencies and intelligence units to ensure that no loopholes remain in the security apparatus during this critical period, officials said.
Heavy rain in Delhi ; 1 killed in tree falling incident
Heavy rain soaked Delhi on Thursday, leaving vehicles stranded on waterlogged roads for hours as commuters waded their way through submerged roads. Several tree falling incidents were reported across the city, one of which claimed a life in Kalkaji.
A DTC bus was stuck on the waterlogged Dhaula Kuan-Gurugram road, where cars were stuck in rainwater, and those travelling on motorcycles and scooters had to get down and push their vehicles through the flooded section.
A video from an underpass near AIIMS showed water accumulated in the corridor after the rain.
A massive tree in the middle of a Kalkaji road uprooted and fell on vehicles crawling in heavy rain, killing 50-year-old Sudhir Kumar, a resident of Tughlaqabad area, who was riding on a motorcycle with his daughter Priya (22).
Priya suffered a pelvic fracture in the Thursday morning accident.
The incident was captured on CCTV in which the huge tree, inches away from the footpath, can be seen uprooting from the road and falling on unaware commuters.
A video from the spot showed the father-daughter duo trapped between the fallen tree and the bike as several people holding umbrellas gathered around and tried to help rescue them.
Lajpat Nagar, Rohtak Road, Anand Parbat, GTK Depot in Jahangirpuri, Adarsh Nagar, Old GT Road near Ring Road, the carriageway from Ashram towards Moolchand on Mathura Road and Dhaula Kuan–Gurugram road were inundated, causing inconvenience to commuters during the rush hour.
A commuter stuck in traffic in Lajpat Nagar said, “I was stuck in traffic for hours due to massive waterlogging on Ring Road near Lajpat Nagar towards AIIMS. Traffic was at a standstill for two hours and has just started moving in a single lane.”
Similar scenes were witnessed near Subroto Park and Outer Ring Road, Dwarka Sector 20, Basai Road in Gurugram, and parts of Ghaziabad and Noida. Over 50 complaints about waterlogging were received by the PWD’s flood control room on Thursday.
“Our horticulture team is at the spot and working with local officials to clear the fallen tree. We are still trying to figure out what exactly was the cause of this incident,” a PWD official said.
The official said that there were several roadside trees that fell following heavy rain on Thursday and quick response teams are responding to calls.
The PWD received calls regarding tree falling incidents from the Saket Court area, near Ghitorni metro station on MG Road, Satya Niketan, Okhla Mandi, and South Extension 2.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange’ alert, warning of more rain.
From 8.30 am to 11.30 am, in three hours, Delhi’s primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded 74 mm of rainfall, Lodhi Road 62.4 mm, Palam 38 mm, Ridge 34.6 mm, and Pusa 46 mm, according to IMD data.
During the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Thursday, Safdarjung recorded 13.1 mm of rainfall, Aya Nagar logged 57.4 mm, Palam 49.4 mm, Lodhi Road 12 mm, Pragati Maidan 9 mm, and Pusa 5 mm, the IMD said.
The rain brought down the minimum temperature in Delhi to 23.6 degrees Celsius, 3.2 notches below normal. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 32 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.
Issuing the ‘orange’ alert for Delhi, the IMD warned of moderate to heavy rainfall during the day, along with thunderstorms and lightning in several parts of the capital.
Delhi Traffic Police took to X to warn commuters about waterlogged areas.
“Due to the recent rains causing waterlogging at GTK Depot, Jahangirpuri, and Adarsh Nagar, traffic on Old GT Road is likely to be severely affected. To avoid congestion, commuters are advised to avoid taking Old GT Road and are requested to plan accordingly or take alternate routes,” it said in a post.
Meanwhile, opposition AAP leaders shared videos of inundated areas in the national capital and slammed the Delhi government over loss of lives due to the heavy downpour.
Former chief minister Atishi wrote a letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta over the Kalkaji tree uprooting incident.
She demanded that PWD Minister Parvesh Verma must take moral responsibility and be dismissed from the Delhi cabinet.
AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj blamed the Delhi government for the massive waterlogging across the city, alleging that it did not undertake de-silting of drains despite a court order.
“Gai bhains paani mein, humari car bhi paani mein hai,” he said sarcastically, using a popular Hindi idiom to say that his car was submerged.
Despite a high court order, the desilting work has not been carried out and the government is avoiding a third-party audit of the desilting contracts, Bharadwaj claimed.
Waterlogging management under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s government has gone underwater, he said.