Security brass reviews arrangements for upcoming G20 meeting

Srinagar: Top security officials on Tuesday emphasized on the need for coordinated efforts to ensure foolproof security for the G20 meeting that will be held in the Kashmir Valley between May 22 and 24.

The G20 meet in Srinagar will be the first major international event in J&K since August 5, 2019, when the erstwhile state was divided into two UTs- J&K and Ladakh- and its special status was revoked.

The joint meeting to review the overall security arrangements was chaired by Additional Director General of Police, Vijay Kumar and attended by officers of Police, intelligence agencies, Army and other security forces

“Threadbare discussions were made regarding overall security arrangements to be adopted for safe and smooth conduct of upcoming G-20 being hosted at Srinagar,” a police spokesman said

During the meeting, the ADGP Kashmir reviewed the security arrangements and emphasized the need for coordinated efforts to ensure foolproof security for the summit.

The officials also discussed the deployment of security personnel, traffic management, and crowd control measures to be adopted for the peaceful conduct of the summit.

The ADGP also urged all agencies to work in a coordinated manner in order to ensure the success of the summit, which is expected to be attended by several high-profile dignitaries from across the world.

“The meeting focused on the deployment of security personnel, counter drone measures and other critical aspects of security planning,” the spokesman said.

Kumar directed the officials to ensure that the security arrangements are put in place well before the summit, and the deployment of security personnel should be done in a manner that does not cause inconvenience to the local residents & tourists.

The ADGP also emphasized the need to be vigilant and take pre-emptive measures to prevent any untoward incident during the summit. He further advised them that additional security measures should be placed at the vulnerable locations to avoid any untoward incident during the G20 summit.

During the meeting, special focus on emerging threat of Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIEDs) and other modes of potential terror attacks including potential fidayeen attacks, standoff fire & grenade attacks were discussed in detail and counter measures to counter these terror threats were also discussed, the spokesman added.

ADGP Kashmir instructed all districts SSsP to focus on busting of terror modules by apprehending terrorist associates and generate the preventive intelligence regarding the presence of terrorists in the valley.

“Beside all SSsP were instructed to conduct anti-terrorist operations on specific inputs. The officials discussed the deployment of additional security forces & use of modern technology to secure the venues,” the spokesman said

During the meeting, the ADGP also stressed the importance of river and lake domination in ensuring the security of the summit. He also emphasized the need for the Marine Commandos (MARCOS) to be put in place to provide a strong security cover for the water bodies around the summit venues.

The attendees reviewed the current security arrangements in place and discussed possible ways to enhance the security measures to ensure the safety of all participants and attendees during the event.

Apart from the security measures, the meeting also discussed the management of foreign NGOs and media personnel during the summit.

Army’s General Officer Commanding Kilo Force, Maj Gen Mohit Seth assured to provide all assistance like domination of high reaches, corridor protection, additional AS Teams, area domination specifically in the night.

ADGP Kashmir shared with all stakeholders that the National Security Guard (NSG) team will be used for counter fidayeen attack along with J&K police’s Special Operation Group and specialise NSG teams for counter drone will be deployed at all venues.

The officials were also instructed to coordinate with other law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies to gather information about any potential security threats and take necessary actions to neutralize them, the spokesman said.

UNI