Monday, August 23, 2010

Security concerns for CWG

CWG: Security nightmare, only 14-day dry run possible, say sources

New Delhi:  The by-now daily financial scandals around the Commonwealth Games 2010  make those in charge  of organizing them - both at home and at the Games' international headquarters - look like Frequent Fliers of a Corrupt Executive Class.


Equally damaging is the intransigent evidence - incomplete venues, those that are ready often flooded in the Delhi monsoon - of broad-based mismanagement.
The big question now is given that the venues aren't finished, how can security checks begin?  A range of terrorist groups have warned foreign tourists and athletes not to attend the Delhi Games.  Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs- in charge of handling the security for the Games - tell NDTV that at least 90 days are needed to coordinate and test security gadgets and systems at stadia. Instead, a 14-day dry run will take place.
A company named Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) was hired to install security devices at the different venues, which includes the athletes' village. However, at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, for example, which is the location of the Opening Ceremony, a wall around the stadium has yet to be completed.  That means security cameras, sensors, and a required Intrusion Detection System have not been installed or tested yet.  Metal detectors that spectators will walk through have not been set up yet.
So, an Australian company has been hired by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to review the security. The company will come to Delhi in first week of September to audit security systems. This is a private company that has been visiting every three months for security audits of Games' venues.
The Delhi Police has told the government and the Games' Organizing Committee that 7500 members will handle the security for the Games. But security experts say the Delhi Police is not trained in counter-terrorism.

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