Bengaluru

In view of 80th Independence day celebrations on August 15, elaborate security arrangements have been made across the city, with thousands of police personnel deployed for bandobast and surveillance duties to prevent any untoward incident, officials said on Friday.

The State-level Independence day celebrations will be held at Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground, they said.

In order to ensure the smooth conduct of the programme and security of the venue, police personnel have been deployed for surveillance duties at the parade ground for the past 15 days.

A total of 110 CCTV cameras have been installed inside and outside the parade ground premises, and personnel have been deployed to continuously monitor the area from a security perspective, they added.

According to police, appropriate surveillance is also being maintained over persons staying suspiciously in hotels, lodges, shelters and other accommodation facilities across Bengaluru City.

The flag hoisting, parade and inauguration of the cultural programme scheduled to be held on August 15 will be conducted by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

"To prevent any untoward incidents, a total of 1,100 police officers and personnel have been deployed for bandobast duty from all divisions of Bengaluru City, comprising nine DCPs, 17 ACPs, 49 PIs, 106 PSIs, 49 ASIs, 594 HCs/PCs, 80 women police personnel, 153 plain-clothes officers/personnel and 29 camera personnel," the Commissioner office said, in a statement.

For traffic management, three DCPs, six ACPs, 19 PIs, 32 PSIs, 111 ASIs and 430 HCs/PCs have been deployed, it said.

Thus, a total of 1,583 officers and personnel have been deployed for bandobast and traffic management duties in connection with the Independence Day celebrations, police said.

In addition, seven Karnataka State Reserve Police/City Armed Reserve platoons, four fire tenders, three ambulances, four reserve vehicles, one Quick Reaction Team (QRT), one D-SWAT and one Rapid Intervention Vehicle have been deployed for security duties at the parade ground. One Garuda Force unit has been kept in reserve, it said.

To closely monitor all activities around the parade ground, 100 CCTV cameras, 4 baggage scanners, 20 DFMDs (Door Frame Metal Detectors) and 40 HHMDs (Hand-Held Metal Detectors) have been installed, police said.

Passes have been issued to invitees and the public and all visitors have been requested to undergo security checks at the entry gates and extend their full cooperation to the police personnel.

Police have also appealed to persons attending the programme not to carry unnecessary luggage or other belongings with them and if any suspicious object or suspicious person is noticed, immediately inform the police officers in uniform.

Items such as cigarettes, matchboxes, sharp objects, knives and blades, video cameras and still cameras, liquor bottles/alcohol and narcotic substances, firecrackers and explosive materials arms and weapons are among those strictly prohibited inside the event venue.

As part of elaborate traffic arrangements ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, parking has been prohibited on several roads around the Manekshaw Parade Ground, the Bengaluru Traffic Police said.

In view of limited parking space in and around the Manekshaw Parade Ground and to minimise traffic congestion, the public has been advised to use public transport and Metro services.

People requiring assistance may approach police personnel deployed in the area or contact the emergency helpline 112, it said.

In addition to this, all arrangements have been made for the 'Freedom Habba' to be held in Bengaluru on the occasion of Independence day.

The event is being organised for the public in front of the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha.

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To ensure that no untoward incidents occur during the Freedom Habba, more than 3,000 police personnel, including Civil Police and KSRP personnel, are being deployed. Those entering Vidhana Soudha will be provided with colour-coded tags, police added.