As the Air Force One carrying the US President Barack Obama and his delegation touched grounds at Palam Air Force Station at around 3.19 pm on Sunday, a flurry of radio messages broke the news to Central security agencies and the Delhi police. “He is here,” said one of the security officials. Within seconds, both the carriageways on nearly 12 km route from airport to US embassy in Chankya Puri were locked down as the US President made way to his first stop in the national capital.
Surrounded by a pentad of security rings, the routes for Mr Obama’s movement in Delhi were finalised at the “last minute” of his arrival here, “We decided to divide the route from the airport to US embassy into a number of grids or channels. The entry to each channel was blocked from all available points till the US President made his way out of it,” a top Delhi police official said. “Various routes were notified to US agencies but the final route was decided at the last minute,” he added.
After leaving the US embassy, Mr Obama, who was accompanied by his wife Michelle, arrived at Humayun’s Tomb near Hazrat Nizamuddin shrine and later left to ITC Maurya hotel on SP Marg in Chankya Puri area. ITC chairman Y.C. Deveshwar, who owns and operates the Oberoi and Trident chain of hotels, welcomed Obamas after their arrival at the hotel.
Mr Obama also met prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh at his residence for a private dinner.
More than 3,000 security personnel drawn from the Delhi police and Central security agencies along with a number of US security officials will be on toes during Mr Obama’s stay in the national capital.