Rs150-crore security system to keep watch on Obama

The world’s most sophisticated surveillance system will be used for the security of US president Barack Obama when he visits Delhi.

The system, codenamed C4Eye, has been imported from Israel at a cost of approximately Rs150 crores. It had a bit of a rough run at the beginning — flopping on debut at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on October 3. This caused a flutter and angered Union home minister P Chidambaram. Later, the system did its job at all important venues during the Games.

The security apparatus has the capacity to ‘Command-Control-Communicate-Coordinate’ 36 surveillance cameras at the same time. These cameras can be installed at various places of strategic importance and can be monitored from control rooms at the Delhi police headquarters.   

However, the Obama visit will be an acid test for the C4Eye system, since it has never been used during VVIP visits, let alone a US president.

The cameras have been installed in consultation with top American officials who have been taking care of the minutest security details of Obama’s trip. The US president’s security team has been on the job in Delhi for the past three months, leaving nothing in the hands of Delhi Police or other agencies.

More than 1,500 security personnel have been flown in from the US to be deployed during Obama’s visit to Mumbai and Delhi. This will be in addition to thousands of security personnel from Delhi Police and paramilitary forces who will provide peripheral, traffic and other security arrangements.

US securitymen will take over Taj Hotel in Mumbai a week before Obama lands there. They will be at the ITC Maurya Sheraton from November 2. Obama’s staff will bring food items and chefs from the US to make sure everything is fool-proof.

An officer connected with Obama’s security said it’s now part of the US president’s travel mandate that everything is brought in special jets wherever he travels in the world. Obama’s contingent will be largest ever and will fill up only Maurya but neighbouring Taj too. The president will travel in Air Force One. His contingent, comprising US businessmen and officials, will come in two jumbo jets.

Plus, there will be four cargo planes and two security jets. The president will travel in cars specially flown from the US and specially-designed keeping his security needs in mind. When Obama is in Mumbai, ships and vessels from the Indian Navy, the US Navy and the Coast Guard will patrol up to 330km of the seashore to prevent any attack.