PTI
 
New Delhi, Aug 12: Security has been heightened across the country ahead of Independence Day in view of intelligence inputs of terrorist plans to disrupt the celebrations.

A ground-to-air security apparatus was put in place in Delhi where the national event will be attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the top political and military leadership after Delhi Police said it had intelligence inputs that terror groups might try to carry out strikes.

Union Home Ministry officials reviewed security in Jammu and Kashmir in a meeting with top functionaries of the state including Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The Ministry has also issued an advisory to states to heighten security measures for Independence Day.

Police in Mumbai that witnessed serial blasts in suburban trains a month ago were conducting checks at all multiplexes and shopping malls to thwart any subversive plan. A security review was undertaken and efforts were on to prepare people to make their suroundings safe.

Special forces were deployed to keep a close watch on each of the 21 entry points into Kolkata besides the railway stations, Metro Rail and highway connectors while a watnch was being kept on shopping malls and vital installations.

In Uttar Pradesh, a strict vigil was being kept around important religious places, cinema halls, railways stations and bus stations and airports. A high alert was sounded in Kanpur especially at the IIT and Ordnance factories while CISF was posted at Kasimpur thermal power station and the Army was handling security of Narora Atomic Power Station.

Security was tightened in Meghalaya and prohibitory orders clamped in East Khasi Hills with the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council calling a 24-hour shutdown on Independence day. The Andhra Pradesh Government has taken all necessary measures with CISF officials manning Hyderabad International airport. Frisking and checking of baggage has been intensified with minimum inconvenience to passengers, officials said.

The three airports in Kerala at Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram were on high alert and all vehicles and passengers arriving at Kochi were under CISF surveillance.

Security personnel were deployed in strength at vital installations in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh including railway stations, bus terminus, airports and telephone exchanges while checkpoints had been set up to keep a vigil on movement of vehicles and people.