No forty winks for security personnel before I-Day

New Delhi, Aug 15 (UNI) If there was one thing that security personnel desperately yearned for during the past one week, it was nothing else but...forty winks.

As many as 12,000 personnel, including Delhi police and other security agecies' personnel, were deployed round-the-clock across the length and breadth of the city to look after the 'zameen-se-aasman tak' aspect of security umbrella over the capital.

''It is really taxing as we are here since 0100 hrs in the morning and till now supervising every thing. From every district of the city, personnel are called in and those on leave are also called back on duty,'' said one of the officials of the Delhi police on condition of anonymity.

''For the past fornight, we are given special training and deployed at different areas of the city on a rotation basis to strengthen security cover of the capital,'' said the official.

''As big names and dignitaries were involved apart from the general public in such majestic events, our responsibility became huge,'' he said.

Though, the Delhi Police official admit the fact that in comparison to old days, the crowd these days was narrowing down but at the same time did not forget to mention that the looming threat of terror on the national capital could not be overlooked.

However, heaving a sigh of relief, he said, ''All our security arrangements were successful in coverting the fort into a citadel.'' Subsequently, it was a satisfactory performance by the security personnel as things passed off peacefully, he told UNI.

Asked about the lesser presence of women security personnel on the duty, the Delhi Police official said there was nothing like less or more as everyone was put on duty, moreover, ''We had deployed adequate amount of women staff for frisking so that pace of female visitors vis-a-vis men to the event could be maintained.'' One hundred and seventy companies of security forces, including 30 paramilitary ones, had been deployed in the capital and these forces included commandos drawn from the ITBP and the NSG.

Air defence measures had also been taken with the Red Fort being declared a no-fly zone and helicopter surveillance maintained till the I-Day celebrations were over.

A special traffic arrangement had also been chalked out due to security concerns with some roads being closed and others diverted.

The entry of commercial vehicles in the capital was also banned from midnight last night and only interstate buses were being allowed inside the Capital.

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