Srinagar: Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Friday said that the crucial G20 meeting in Kashmir would be held peacefully.
“Obviously, the threat is there but what are we here for? Let us not forget the motto of J&K Police is ‘a saga of sacrifice and courage’. Nothing untoward will happen,” Kumar said.
He said that to ensure the important event was a huge success, security personnel were executing day and night dominance.
The ADGP Kashmir said that the number of check posts had increased and senior Police officers along with other security personnel were moving around the city in the last 15 days to oversee the security arrangements.
He said patrolling was part of maintaining night domination of the areas and helps in countering any threat of a terrorist sneaking into the city from south Kashmir.
Kumar took a surprise round of the city during the night to check the preparedness of the Police force.
Passing through the lanes and by lanes of the interior city, he reached a check post at Pantha Chowk and took out time to stand with Policemen tirelessly maintaining tight vigil along the crucial highway.
As per the reports, the ADGP Kashmir told the on duty Police personnel, “This is a high-pressure job but, in the end, we have to be 100 percent alert. Any failure can prove costly.”
Talking to media persons, he said the Police force was completely geared up to meet any challenge.
“Generally, we have a check post for 365 days but whenever an important event happens, every one of us is on the roads to ensure that people sleep peacefully. The number of check posts has definitely increased and many of my senior officers are moving around the city in the last 15 days. Today, I have come out myself to boost their morale and stand next to my men on the road,” Kumar said.
Kumar also went into the interiors of the Nowgam area in Srinagar.
He met the Police and CRPF personnel posted there and took stock of the situation.
During his visit to the area, Kumar pointed to an under-construction building and directed the officers to post a sniper there to ensure that the eventuality of a suicide terror attack is averted.
Kashmir’s top Police officer also pointed out that women police should also remain present in the likelihood that female passengers need to be searched.
“We are religiously following all the Standard Operating Procedures and are hopeful that the event will pass off peacefully,” he said.
The ADGP Kashmir also said that some preventive arrests of Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and suspects were made as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, amid heightened security throughout Kashmir, the administration has decided that there would not be any restrictions on the days when the G20 meeting takes place in Srinagar.
According to a senior government official, educational institutions and commercial activities would remain unaffected by the international event that is meant to promote Kashmir as an international tourism destination.
“There is no discussion of putting restrictions or curbs in place during the G20 Tourism Working Group meetings in Srinagar from May 22 to May 24. The G20 is a normal event and imposing curbs can ruin everything,” he said.
To prevent any terrorist attacks, security services have increased their vigil, implemented day and nighttime area dominations, and protected roadways.
Kashmir would host the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting from May 22 to 24.
The first G20 Tourism Working Group meeting was held at the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat in February and the second in West Bengal’s Siliguri in April.
Under India’s chairmanship, the G20 meetings would be conducted in Srinagar for the first time with heavy security.
“The stage is set, and final preparations are being made,” said an official, who wished to remain unnamed. “Everything is proceeding as planned.”
To guarantee that the event goes ahead without a hitch, extensive security measures have been implemented.
The J&K government has said that G20 is a fantastic chance to highlight the tourist potential of J&K on a worldwide scale and revitalise the once-struggling tourism industry.
Kashmir has recently seen record numbers of tourists arrive, and according to tourism officials, this year’s total is expected to surpass prior highs.
Marine Commandos and NSG would guard the primary site of the G20 meeting in Srinagar, the SKICC on the banks of Dal Lake, as well as the hotels and lodges where the foreign delegates would stay.
While the security grid in Kashmir has designed a counter plan to thwart all potential threats, vehicle-borne IEDs, suicide bombing, sticky bomb assaults, drone attacks, and grenade attacks – the location would continue to be under overhead observation.
The Army would keep security at the maximum level on Kashmir’s major thoroughfares and other key road connections.
The PMO, Union Home Secretary, and Director IB also reviewed the security arrangements of Srinagar ahead of the mega event.