NEW DELHI, JULY 4: The Government today issued guidelines effecting major changes in the Prime Minister's security system to reduce inconvenience caused to the general public.These steps have been taken following an unwarranted assault by Delhi police personnel on a scooterist who strayed onto the Prime Minister's route one night. The incident upset Gujral who prodded the security agencies to speed up the review he had ordered to scale down his security and make it less obtrusive.According to the new guidelines, the number of policemen deployed along the route traversed by the Prime Minister will be drastically reduced and traffic will be held up only for three minutes. Vehicular movement will be allowed as soon as the last car in the Prime Minister's convoy has passed.Wherever there is a verge or a railing, traffic moving in the opposite direction will not be stopped. Shops along the route will no longer be closed down as a matter of routine. Pedestrians will be permitted to move around except those wanting to cross the road at the time the cavalcade passes by.In addition to road movement, air traffic will also be permitted to continue when the Prime Minister's plane takes off or lands. The air space will not be closed for his flights as had been the practice till now.An official spokesman said that steps are afoot to scale down the security provided to other VIPs also with a view to reduce Government expenditure and letting police personnel perform their normal duties on the law and order front.At the same time, he stressed, the degree of protection accorded to those who require it will not be compromised. ``Security will be given in consonance with the threat perception to the VIP concerned which will be reviewed regularly,'' he said. It is hoped that these steps will reduce the deployment of National Security Guards (NSG) for personal security as well as the use of escort vehicles. According to the new guidelines, the escort vehicle will be an exception rather than rule. The heads of Central police organisations have been prohibited from using escort vehicles.
