Srinagar, May 17: Ahead of G20 Summit in Srinagar, MARCOS (Marine commandos of Indian Navy) are deployed in Dal Lake and adjacent water bodies in Srinagar to thwart any untoward incident near the G20 meeting venues, officials said.
G20’s tourism working group is scheduled to meet in Srinagar between May 22 and May 24. The meet is expected to be one of the most high-profile events hosted in Jammu and Kashmir recently.
The meetings will take place at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre. Delegates will visit Gulmarg in North Kashmir during their stay.
A senior police officer told Rising Kashmir “we have deployed MARCOS to provide a strong security cover for the water bodies around the summit venues.”
The police official said MARCOS conducted the patrolling on rafting boats on the waters of Dal Lake. They were equipped with all modern weaponry, he said, adding that patrolling will continue till May 25.
“NSG commandos will be used for counter-fidayeen attacks, along with the special operations group (SOG). Specialised NSG teams for counter-drone operations will be deployed at all venues,” he said.
“High tech CCTV cameras and drones will be used for aerial surveillance. All things are being streamlined for smooth conduct of this mega summit, the police officer said.
He said a special security plan has been devised and accordingly the deployment of forces would remain in place for smooth conduct of this mega international function.
Presently, both police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have intensified patrolling, vehicle checking, and frisking at various flashpoints in Srinagar and adjacent districts.
The police officer said as part of the security plan CRPF is conducting daily security drills around the venue. The drills include anti-mine search and the use of trained sniffer dogs which are being used to sanitise the place.
“Bullet-proof vehicles are placed at all the entry and exit points of the venue. Soldiers as well as drones are involved in security arrangements to ensure 24×7 vigil,” he said.
Apart from security measures, the J&K Police has specially trained around 600 personnel to understand the tactics and strategies used in invisible policing.
“They completed a two week training course at Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy Udhampur. They will be deputed at various places at the venues. Most of them will be doing their duties in civies to ensure comfort for the delegates,” he said.