Air, land and water to be secured for G20 Srinagar meeting

The Marine Commandos (MARCOS), a special forces unit of the Indian Navy, National Security Guards (NSGs) and anti-drone technology will guard the G20 tourism working group meeting to be held in Kashmir from May 22 to 25.

While deliberations during the three-day event will be held at SK International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar, officials said the foreign delegates will also be taken on a sightseeing tour to the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

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The Srinagar G20 meeting will be the first major international event in Jammu and Kashmir since August 2019, when the erstwhile state was divided into two union territories -- J&K and Ladakh -- and its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution was revoked.

New Delhi’s decision to host a meeting of G20 countries in Srinagar has been slammed by Pakistan, which called it an “irresponsible move”.

India took over the presidency of the G20, an economic cooperation bloc comprising 19 countries and the European Union, in December of last year. It is scheduled to host a leader’s summit in New Delhi this September.

Keeping in view the threats posed by Pakistan-sponsored militants, who might try to disrupt the high-profile event, security agencies in Kashmir are taking no chances.

Additional DGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar during a security review meeting on Tuesday stressed the importance of river and lake domination in ensuring the security for the meeting. He also emphasised the need for the MARCOS to be put in place to provide a strong security cover for the water bodies around the summit venues.

MARCOS of the Indian Navy comprises the toughest soldiers who undergo rigorous training to conduct swift and stealthy responses in water.

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Kumar also said the NSG team will be used for counter fidayeen (suicide) attacks along with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K police while drones will be deployed at all venues.

The ADGP also directed the officials to ensure that the security arrangements were put in place well before the summit, and the deployment of security personnel should be done in a manner that does not cause inconvenience to the residents and tourists.