Safety first mantra

Britains Prince Edward had to wait outside a sports venue as his security men didnt have proper accreditationNot very long ago several countries and individual athletes had threatened to pull out of the Commonwealth Games many citing security concerns Sundays opening ceremony may have turned around the fortunes of the event but the authorities cant afford to take any chances And apparently they arent Yesterday Earl of Wessex Prince Edward reportedly had to wait for 15 minutes at the Yamuna Sports Complex as his security men provided by the Government of India did not have proper accreditation Sources said the Prince had been allowed to go inside but he chose to stay with his security staff u00a0Taking no chances Strict security guidelines are being followed atu00a0CWG venues in New Delhi after orders from Delhi Police Chief Y S Dadwalu00a0File picSecurity measuresHis security men either didnt have the accreditation cards or were carrying weapons because of which they were stopped by the policemen deployed at entrance number 1 VVIP gate of the stadium police sources saidHence Prince Edward who had come to see the events reportedly waited outside the venue for a few minutes until the matter was sorted out and senior police officers intervened Sources inside the sports complex said the Prince had arrived around 1025 am and entered the stadium only at 1038 am Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police East district Dinesh Gupta confirmed that Prince Edward had visited the complex He however denied any delay in the Princes entry Gupta said that a gap of a few minutes during security checks is usual Other victimsAbout a week back Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had to walk for 500 metres at the Siri Fort stadium as his driver and personal security guards didnt have proper accreditation cards In another incident a security official attached to an international team was detained at the entrance of Ashoka hotel on Sunday after a firearm was recovered from him during security check The official is understood to be from the Singapore High Commission who had come to see his team housed in the hotelA Ministry of Home Affairs official said A small firearm was recovered from a person who was part of the security staff attached to a foreign team He was carrying a diplomatic pass and was not authorised to carry any firearms Strict ordersAll this is on expected lines following strict guidelines by Delhi Police Chief Y S Dadwal as far as entry into Games venues is concerned A senior police officer who was part of a briefing by the CP before the Games said on condition of anonymity Dadwal had instructed us that even if God comes you should ask for his identity Y S Dadwal had said in one of his briefings Agar swayam Shri Hari bhi ayen to pehle aap unke pair ko hath lagaye phir unhe namashkar kare aur phir puche ki kya aap apna Icard dikha sakte hai Even if Lord Vishnu comes seek his blessings first and then ask for his Icardu00a0 We have been following instructions and we will not let anyone enter without a valid Icard the senior police officer stated When asked to comment on CWG security Home Secretary G K Pillai said We have taken strict measures and want the city to be as safe as possible Guarded responseAfter an incidentfree CWG opening ceremony the Union government has asked Delhi police and other state forces to stay alert during the remaining days of the sporting eventDelhi police and paramilitary forces were asked to maintain a vigil by the Home Ministry yesterday Around 29000 police personnel were deployed in and around Games venues Most of the remaining 50000 police personnel of the 80000strong force were also involved in creating a security net around the city for the Games Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has been personally supervising Games security arrangements On Sunday he visited the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium before the opening ceremony Some 7000 athletes and officials from 71 countries and territories are in the Capital for the Games Insecurity complex gtgtAustralian Prime Minister Julia Gillard had on September 23 announced that security officials will travel to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games considering the security arrangements and said it is ultimately for the athletes to decide if they want to attend the event or not gtgtAcknowledging that there was widespread concern about security of the contestants Gillard had said that our travel advice has made clear that there was a risk of terrorism in New Delhi and since 2000 there have been at least 14 major terrorist incidents in the city gtgtGillard had pointed out how she travelled to India in 2009 in her former capacity as deputy prime minister when the travel advisory said the area was unsafe gtgtNew Zealand had also shown their concern towards the security of their players and warned them of risk of possible terror attacks in New Delhi during the GamesNew Zealands Prime Minister John Key had said that the country was committed to participate in the Gamesbut had put the onus on the countrys Olympic committee to decide for the playersgtgtBesides there were apprehensions shown by few other countries about the security situation in Delhiu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0 29000 number of police personnel deployed in and around Games venues Editors note India deals with terrorism round the year round the clock It is better geared to fight terror than most countries in the world This incident with Prince Edward just goes to prove it Besides terror threat looms everywhere even over the London Olympics 2012