Tight security ends in chaos

Coordination was the only thing missing at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. Poor communication between various agencies left Prince Charles and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's convoys fuming.

Coordination was the only thing missing at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. Poor communication between various agencies left Prince Charles and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's convoys fuming.

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The ambulances accompanying Prince Charles, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Governor General of New Zealand had to wait at the gates for more than one-and-half hours as the security personnel did not know if they were supposed to let them enter from these gates.

The security personnel at gate number 1 did not have proper orders to let them inside. After a while, the security team told the ambulances to move to gate number 16 from where they were allowed entry. Three doctors, technicians and drivers from RML Hospital accompanied the ambulances.

“We were made to wait outside for a long time. We are supposed to enter from gate number 1 but the security did not allow us,” said Dr Saurabh Toppo, one of the three doctors.

The security officers also prevented a 10-year-old boy on wheelchair from entering the stadium for 45 minutes.

The boy had come with his family all the way from Sushant Lok in Gurgaon.

Sandeep Kumar, the father of the boy, said, “We were told that as my son’s wheelchair is electronic and they did not know the proper protocol to handle it. Apparently no electronic devices are supposed to be taken inside the stadium. We had to wait for a long time.”