Police control room to go ‘underground’

Fearing air-borne attacks, Delhi police mooted setting up an underground bunker in the city for emergency communication system during terror attack.

A senior police official said that the national capital is always on terror radar. With the growing threat perception, Delhi police is preparing itself to counter the situation and keep the city safe. The Delhi police headquarter building at ITO, where the control room is stationed, is in the list of terrorist threats.

“The bunker is needed to maintain communication and coordination with all security wings of Delhi police during any air-borne terror attack. The need for an underground bunker was discussed during a security meeting with other senior police officials. The idea is at an initial stage. We are preparing a detailed report for further approval from concerned departments. After requisite clearances, Delhi police will be the first police in the country to have an underground bunker,” said a senior police official. “We have also identified two locations in the city where the bunker can be constructed. It will be equipped with all modern control room facilities for command and communication,” he added. In a meeting that was called just after India’s surgical strike across the Line of Control, the Delhi police official reviewed the security of the city and they discussed the need for an emergency control room in case of any air-attack in the national capital. “The emergency control room will be on the stand by. It will be used to communicate with police officials, police stations, and PCR vans during any terror attack,” informed a senior police official. Security agencies have already placed two missile-tracking radars in Delhi as the first part of a planned effort to give the city a nuclear missile shield.