Visitors' safety priority of AP cops at International Fleet Review: police
Visakhapatnam: Controlling the crowd and safeguarding the visitors are top priorities for state police during the International Fleet Review (IFR) which will be held on the eastern seaboard here in February next year, Andhra Pradesh DGP JV Ramudu said on Friday.
"As many as 10,000 police personnel from various parts of Andhra Pradesh will be guarding the coastal city of Vizag during the IFR to ensure safe visit of many VVIPs and international delegates, besides the general public," the DGP told reporters here after attending a multi-agency review meeting on the event, scheduled to be held from February 4.
The meeting was attended by officials of the Indian Navy, city police, CRPF and CISF. A total of 15,000 VIPs, a few VVIPs will be watching the five-day event apart from about five lakh people, he said.
"Nearly 70 countries will participate in the IFR, the biggest event in the country. The rehearsal of the IFR starts from January 27, 2016 and will continue till February 3 before the main event starts on February 4," the DGP said.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will inaugurate the IFR village (exhibition) on February 4. As per the schedule, President Pranab Mukherjee will take the salute from warships and aircraft on February 5 and he will watch the IFR till February 7.
The President will board a presidential yacht that would set from the naval dockyard, the top cop said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inspect the naval parade and the IFR on February 7.
"Both the Navy and the state government will install a total of 160 CCTV cameras at strategic points on Beach Road and a few other places to keep a watch on areas where the VIPs will move as well as for crowd management.
"We will prepare to handle one lakh visitors a day during the IFR. As part of our contingent plan, we may impose certain traffic restriction on the Beach Road during the event and also issue free passes to watch the IFR," Ramudu said.
The IFR was held in Mumbai on the West Coast in 2001. The event provides the host nation an occasion to display its own naval prowess and maritime capabilities whilst simultaneously generating goodwill amongst other maritime nations. The review also aims at assuring the country of the Indian Navy's preparedness, high morale and discipline.
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