What it takes to welcome Donald, Trump style | India News

Ahmedabad is gearing up to receive US President Donald Trump early next week and the city is going all out to ensure the visit is a success. TOI takes a look at the preparations ahead of Trump's visit.Air surveillance part of security setupSecurity for Trump is top of the list. Security agencies of both India and the US are reviewing preparations for the February 24 mega show at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera where Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump are expected to address a mammoth gathering of over one lakh people. The stadium was handed over to security officials on Sunday. medium74173323According to highly placed sources, US Security Service officials met with top officials of city crime branch, city police, Special Protection Group (SPG) Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Intelligence Bureau at the stadium, along with officials of Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA). “GCA will get CCTV cameras installed in the stadium at strategic locations...deployment of US and Indian security forces inside the arena was also discussed," said a GCA official.Buildings near the venue featured in the talks since US and Indian snipers will be deployed at these locations, said a security agency source. In addition, drones, brought for the event from other countries, will be used. Preparations are also underway for Trump's road show with Modi along a 22km route. More than 50,000 people are expected to line up along the route. It will be interesting to see if the leaders travel in the US president's limousine, known as the Beast. medium nocaption74173359Crime branch sources said the special unit of the city crime branch will assist US Secret Service agents in the security of the US president. “We have a special unit in the crime branch which will be deployed in the security,” said a crime branch official.The city police have also set up two control rooms in front of the Gujsail aerodrome exclusively for Trump's visit. About 50 police personnel are deployed at the first control room to keep an eye on the law and order situation and on traffic around the airport area. About 100 police personnel will manage cops’ deployment in the area and provide piloting escort service to VVIPs. medium nocaption74176406 medium nocaption74172728boxcontentThe US president's cavalcadeHAZMAT: This black truck carries sensors to detect, and a special gear to respond to any sort of weapon attack be it nuclear, chemical or biological. It also doubles up as a storage vehicle.ROADRUNNER: It’s a beefed-up SUV and has a large satellite communications array. Keeps the president and White House officials securely connected through encrypted voice, internet and video communications.WATCHTOWER: It has vertical antennas and special domes. Can jam any communications or remote detonating devices. It can also detect projectiles or unmanned air vehicles.SUPPORT VEHICLES: They carry the president’s doctor, members of the cabinet, a top military aid and their security detail and additional security personnel.CAT: These are usually black suburbans or large SUVs, with police lights, and they always have their rear gates open with a heavily armed and armoured commando hanging out of the back, with an assault rifle. HALFBACK: The Halfback is usually the car immediately following the US president’s car called ‘Stagecoach’. The Halfback carries the president’s secret service protective detail.No animals for TrumpBesides security, parts of Ahmedabad are getting a makeover, which includes removing all stray animals from where Trump's motorcade will pass. In 2015, when then US secretary of state John Kerry was on his way back to the airport after attending the inaugural function of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Business Summit in Gandhinagar, his cavalcade hit a mongrel that had strayed into the path near SVP airport. To avoid such embarrassments, the cattle menace department will capture dogs and keep them away from the VVIP route for almost five days until the US president and his delegation leave the city. medium74175035“There are societies and chawls in Sabarmati area which feed stray dogs and that may be a problem. These societies will be approached by the Sabarmati ward AMC officers in the coming days to desist from feeding the dogs,” said an AMC official.The airport area and the 1km radius around Motera stadium towards Koteshwar and Bhatt village is also known for ‘nilgai’ or blue bull intrusions. The forest department is being consulted on how to prevent the animals from straying into the area. medium74175075No slums tooNot just animals, even slums are being hidden from Trump's view. Even as the AMC continued to claim that the wall being built around a slum — Saraniya Vaas — near the city airport will be just 4 feet high, the wall has already gone up to 5 feet. A construction labourer at the site told TOI the wall was 5 feet high, at present, and grills and curtains would be added over the next couple of days. The labourer said he and his colleagues were told the wall should be high enough to prevent people from seeing over it. Their contractor, who was present at the spot, refused to talk. medium74173394Municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra, however, said that a wall already stood in the area that was in dilapidated condition. The main reason for carrying out repair work on the wall, Nehra said, was to ensure that it was not a safety hazard.But residents were unhappy. Anil Sejwani, a shopkeeper in Saraniya Vaas, said, “I have been running this shop for a decade and it gives me decent earnings. But the wall has affected my business.” medium74173599Pan shops sealed to keep walls swachhNot just animals and slums, people chewing their favourite pan-masala and spewing a mouthful of ‘red liquid’ on roads or walls will have to think twice on February 24 as the AMC doesn’t want POTUS to see this during his three-hour stay in Swachh Ahmedabad. medium74175099In its bid to keep all roads and walls around the airport spotless, AMC's health department sealed three pan shops at the airport circle. A policeman said the shops were sealed after the civic body found improper disposal of garbage and spitting of pan masala around the shops.An AMC official of the north zone said customers would throw cigarette butts and spit pan masala everywhere, so it was difficult to keep the area clean. “We have decided to seal the shops till further order,” he said. But for passerby Salim Shaikh the move meant he could no longer stop at his favourite pan shop before going to the airport.boxcontentPrickly questions for residentsA team of local police are checking credentials of people living in Saraniya Vaas. A resident of the area said that the cops inquired how many people lived in the vicinity and for how long. Another local resident said that some even inquired about the knives that they sell. large74174177Protests are banned tooThe Gujarat police have formed a special 500-strong anti-morcha team to tackle protesters. Made up of SRP jawans and local cops, the anti-morcha team will keep a tab on protests of any kind by citizens and prevent flare-ups. With citizen protests over various issues, including NRC and CAA on the rise, police are keen on nipping such demonstrations in the bud.“A big job of the anti-morcha team will be to gather intelligence on where people are planning to hold protests and stop them from taking out rallies,” said a police source.Kalim Siddique, one of the organisers of the silent demonstrations against the CAA and NRC in Rakhial, said organisers were called by police officers and told to end the protest before Trump’s visit. “We have been told to hold a programme and end the protest in a silent manner. We are anyway protesting very silently and doing nothing to disturb the law and order situation of the city,” he added. Sources said the anti-morcha team has activated informers to learn in advance of protests planned during Trump’s visit. “Apart from that the cyber cell of the city police and Gujarat police have been asked to keep a tab on known rabble-rousers,” a police source said.A senior crime branch official said members of the anti-morcha team will be stationed near the Motera stadium and other places where the US president may visit.