17 October,2011 06:54 AM IST | | Johnlee Abraham
Around 1,000 personnel have been deployed at launch venue and metro stations to avoid any untoward incident during the event to be attended by VVIPs, including political heavy-weights
The recovery of huge quantities of explosive materials in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh last week has prompted the city police to beef up security for the upcoming Metro launch.
As a bevy of VVIPs, including national-level leaders from different parties, are likely to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the Metro Reach I on October 20, the police are not taking chances and have tightened security at all stations.
Private security personnel scan a woman's purse at MG Road Metro
station ahead of the launch of the Metro services
The Central Intelligence has revealed that the recovered explosives were intended to be used for terror activities across the country, so the police are taking extra precaution to avoid any untoward incidents before or on the day of the inaugural run of the Metro.
Metro on alert
The inauguration of the first leg of the mass transit system running between M G Road and Byappanahalli is expected to draw more than 35,000 people. According to experts, the inauguration venue with such a huge gathering people could become an easy target for the terrorists.
City Commissioner B G Jyothiprakash Mirji assessed security at all the stations along with Metro officials to ensure there is no loopholes in security arrangements.
"After the terror alert, instructions have been issued to all the security forces to be on high alert and stay vigilant round the clock. We have increased patrolling, especially around the Metro stations," said B G Jyothiprakash Mirji, City Police Commissioner.
The city police will deploy more than 1,000 security men from the Police Reserve, besides a string of security cover will also be put in place for the inauguration.
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"In the light of the terror threat, we are increasing the security measures at all the stations. There will be 1,000 men from the State Police Reserve overseeing the security arrangements around the Metro stations," said T Suneel Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order).
Luggage scanners
Besides frisking and scanning commuters with hand-held explosives detectors, the police have installed scanners for checking visitors' luggage.
Security agencies claim that since machines may sometimes fail in identifying modern explosives such as RDX, TNT, DNT, MNT and HMX.
So a dedicated team of sniffer dogs will also be deployed to ward off the possibility of any such lapse. "To ensure that security around the metro stations and inauguration venue is foolproof, the security forces are carrying out anti-sabotage checks on a daily basis," said Kumar.
"We have also ordered for Bomb disposal and sniffer dog squads for the inaugural day," he added.
Yeddy to miss Metro ride
Former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, the man who promised to gift the Metro to Bangalore, won't be able to witness its inauguration.
While his predecessors H D Kumaraswamy, Deve Gowda, Dharam Singh and S M Krishna would participate in the event, Yeddyurappa, who was arrested on 15 October and eventually developed some complications, will be confined to his hospital bed. The tainted BJP leader will be in judicial custody till 22 October.
