New Delhi: All roads
leading
to
ITC
Maurya, the
hotel which will host US President Donald
Trump, have been
fortified with snipers, elite
SWAT commandos and sharp shooters on high-rise buildings, officials said on Monday.
Trump, who is accompanied by his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner and a host of senior officials of the US administration, is expected
to check-in at the
hotel on Monday evening.
The entry and exit
to the
hotel is being strictly monitored by
security agencies and it has not taken any bookings till
Trump is in Delhi.
Indian
security agencies are also working in close coordination with the US Secret Service, officials said.
Apart from anti-drone detachment of
NSG, snipers, kite catchers, canine units, and Parakram vans have also been deployed along the routes and areas in and around the
hotel where
Trump will be staying, they said.
Police personnel from six districts have been deployed for the
security arrangements and nearly 40 companies of Central Armed Police Forces have been pressed into action.
Hundreds of high-definition CCTV cameras with night vision have been installed across the Sardar Patel Marg where
hotel
ITC
Maurya is located
to monitor the situation round-the-clock, the officials said.
Five years ago, when
Trump's predecessor Barack Obama visited the national capital, the
Delhi Police had rented 605 CCTV cameras and spent more than Rs one crore in hiring, installing and later removing them.
In view of the spiralling tensions between Iran and the US, there is a higher
security threat this time and the agencies are more "cautious and alert" than ever, sources said.
A senior police officer said, "We have also requested the anti-sabotage checking teams from the paramilitary and the
Army. They have been regularly conducting anti-sabotage checks along every route
to be taken by the US President during his visit here".
Besides the multi-layer
security
cover, elaborate arrangements have been made by the Delhi Police, including placement of double barricading on all the roads where
Trump's convoy is likely
to pass, officials said, adding that aerial surveillance of the route will also be conducted as part of the
security measures.
Jersey barriers (modular concrete or plastic barriers placed
to organise traffic into lanes) will also be
put up on the route, a senior police official said.
Delhi Police is also working in close coordination with civic bodies.
The route
leading
to a Delhi government school where US first lady Melania
Trump is scheduled
to pay a visit will also be
under a high
security
cover, according
to officials.
Trees have been trimmed according
to the directions of the
security agencies as part of the protocol.
Meetings have also been held with US
security agents on the elaborate
security arrangements in place.
At the
ITC
Maurya, a three-layer
security has been
put in place.
The
hotel, located in Diplomatic Enclave in Chanakyapuri, has police personnel in plain clothes patrolling every floor.
Delhi Police's
security wing personnel are part of the inner cordon that is working in close coordination with the United States Secret Service.
The
security wing of the Delhi Police is a specialised unit tasked with the
security of VIPs and visiting foreign dignitaries.
The second layer of
security has been deployed around the
hotel's lobby area, parking, lawn area and the pool area, while the third one comprises police personnel from the district police.
There is a large stretch of green ridge area opposite the
hotel and
security personnel have been deployed there as well.
Even at the neighbouring Taj Palace
hotel,
security personnel are maintaining a tight vigil.
The floor where the Grand Presidential Suite is located at the
ITC
Maurya is out of bounds for most
hotel staff owing
to the elaborate
security arrangements.
Sources said
security arrangements at the
hotel have been underway for the last two weeks with NSG commandos and Delhi Police personnel surveying every floor on a daily basis. Officials from the US embassy are also monitoring the preparations with all details being kept
under wraps.
The sources added that the
hotel will be out of bounds for other guests during the time
Trump and his entourage will be there, and all the 438 rooms of the five-star property have been booked.