In view of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?s Srinagar visit, elaborate security arrangements have been made in the city. Prime Minister Singh will be arriving in the capital on Monday afternoon and will address the convocation of the Sher-e-Kashmir Agriculture University.
A 50-member Special Protection Group (SPG) team headed by an IG has already arrived in the city on Saturday and scanned all the locations where the Prime Minister will be visiting on Monday. The SPG officials also held separate meetings with the senior security officials of the state.
Prime Minister Singh will address the fifth convocation of Sher-e-Kashmir Agriculture University that is being held at Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) located on the banks of Dal Lake at 3 pm.
Additional deployments of J&K Police and Paramilitary forces have been made on all the sensitive spots across the city, especially on the Boulevard road?the route the Prime Minister is taking to reach the venue of the convocation.
Inspector general of police, Kashmir Range Farooq Ahmad said that all the security arrangements have been made in view of the Prime Minister?s Srinagar visit. ?We have taken all the required steps for the security,? he said.
Sources said that the police is also planning to seal the Foreshore road for the public in view of PM?s visit and only vehicles with special security passes will be allowed to ply on the Foreshore and Boulevard roads. From Sunday evening, three-tier security will be placed in the city and additional barriers will be set up in the civil lines areas of Srinagar and on the Fore shore road.
SKICC, the venue where Prime Minister Singh will spend some time, has already been scanned by the police and the SPG teams.
The Prime Minister will also have separate meetings with the chief minister Omar Abdullah and Governor NN Vohra. During his stay in the capital, he will also be meeting the leaders of the main political parties.
Singh will also be reviewing the progress of the schemes that are underway in the state under the Prime Minister?s Reconstruction Plan for which the Centre has already allocated Rs 24,000 crore to the state. However, most of these projects are unable to meet the required deadline.
The Prime Minister is likely to renew his offer of talks to the separatist camp that he had made on the previous occasions.
