A full dress rehearsal for the 80th Independence Day celebrations was held at the historic Red Fort here on Thursday amid heightened security and extensive traffic restrictions in the national capital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15. The event is expected to draw large crowds and lead to restrictions on vehicular movement across several parts of the city.
Shahdara DCP Rajendra Prasad Meena said security arrangements had been strengthened in the district, which shares seven border points with Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.
“Today was the full dress rehearsal. The Shahdara district is a very sensitive area. From a border point of view, we have seven border points adjoining Ghaziabad district in Uttar Pradesh. Traffic at these points was completely shut from 10:00 p.m. last night,” Meena told IANS.
He said temporary pickets had been deployed in addition to regular checkpoints and check posts, while Emergency Response Vehicles and patrol vehicles continued to operate in their respective areas.
Special security arrangements have also been made along the Khadar area on the Yamuna riverbank behind the Red Fort complex.
“We have been doing continuous patrolling in that area which will continue till the main event on August 15,” Meena said.
Traffic Police Zone-2 Additional Commissioner of Police Dinesh Kumar Gupta said restrictions had been imposed at all border areas of the national capital from 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
“No commercial vehicles were allowed from there. Only vehicles carrying essential commodities were permitted,” he said.
Gupta said Delhi Police coordinated with authorities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to stop vehicles from moving towards the border and divert them at earlier points to prevent congestion.
Several traffic diversion points have also been created, he said, adding that routes including C-Hexagon, Tilak Marg and roads in the Lutyens’ Zone and VIP areas would face restrictions because of VIP movement.
“Our staff have been deployed at all the concerned intersections,” Gupta said.
He added that a public advisory had been issued through various platforms, including print media, detailing the affected routes and suggesting alternative routes for commuters.
(IANS Inputs)
