Games venues’ security lockdown nearly complete

NEW DELHI - Security agencies inched closer to the complete lockdown of the Commonwealth Games venues Saturday, eight days before opening of the Oct 3-14 mega event.

“The complete clampdown process for all the Games venues is expected to be over today (Saturday). We are still awaiting the final reports,” said Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat.

“The roads leading to Games venues and Village have been barricaded,” said a senior police official.

He added that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) had been put in place to keep an eye from the sky on the venues and to guard against any airborne attack.

Four-tier security now envelopes the venues and the Games Village. Only those with authorised passes will be allowed into the restricted areas.

“The outermost layer of security is where we’ll check the passes and verify the identity of an individual. As the visitor moves in, a separate layer of security will guide him/her to his/her specific location,” said a senior police official.

“In the next level of security, one will encounter a stringent check and barcode (imprinted on the entry pass) verification. Baggage scanning and body checks will be performed in the innermost and the final layer of security,” said the officer, who did not wish to be named.

Around 85,000 policemen in uniform and plain clothes, and 20,000 paramilitary commandoes will be deployed in and around the Games stadia.

After attending a meeting with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday, Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal had said: “I assure international athletes that there is fool-proof security for the Commonwealth Games. There is no doubt about it.”

In the past few days, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee has faced criticism from officials of various countries over the alleged lax attitude of officials involved in preparations for the Games.

On Saturday, Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Michael Fennell spoke about “damage” done to India’s image and hoped that lessons have been learnt from the controversies surrounding the Games preparations.

“A lot of damage has been done to India. People are asking ‘Should we come to India?’ India is the largest Commonwealth country. At the end of this all, India would have learnt a lesson. And we have also learnt our lessons working with a country like India,” Fennell said.

Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 countries and territories are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India’s biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games.