Saturday deadline for Games Village works

Several missed deadlines later, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday told the Organising Committee to stick to a fresh Saturday morning deadline to complete all work at the Commonwealth Games Village and other venues before athletes start arriving.

At a meeting to review security measures in place for the mega sporting event, Chidambaram took note of the
delays in handing over the Games Village and several other venues to security agencies.

The organising committee sought some more time to complete the work. “In some cases, they sought 12 to 24 hours... in some up to 36 hours,” said a government official.

During the past month, security agencies have had to extend deadlines for handing over the venues three times.
An official spokesman said the Home minister set certain timelines for the organising committee and other authorities to complete the works and had the minutes of the meeting sent to the OC to ensure strict compliance.

Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal assured Chidambaram that the security establishment would be able to provide full security and "there need not be any concern about security".

Dadwal repeated his commitment for "foolproof security" after the hour-long meeting.
"I assure the international athletes that there is foolproof security for the Commonwealth Games. There is no doubt over it," Dadwal told reporters.

Apart from nearly one lakh police personnel on the ground, the security establishment has also arranged for eyes in
the sky.

Choppers and unarmed aerial vehicles would be deployed during the Games, particularly during the opening and closing ceremonies.

A mock drill for the deployment of the aerial vehicles will be held on Friday.