Security tight as teams arrive

The second Test between India and Australia will commence on Saturday under heavy security with over 70 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to monitor the movements of the cricket fans at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here.

After the twin bomb blasts in Dilsukhnagar that killed 17 and injured over 100 people, the flak over the malfunctioning of the CCTV cameras had forced the authorities to take a tough stand over security in the State capital.

A series of unprecedented measures have been put in place with the most prominent being the installation of CCTV cameras to ensure optimum surveillance for the Test match beginning from Saturday (March 2).

Around 2000 policemen and over 70 CCTV cameras at the stadium and over 100 scanners along the route from Taj Krishna Hotel to the venue will be put in place to ensure tight security. Even the tickets were being issued on Thursday at e-counters with bio-metric identification.

However, the sale of tickets for the Test match was not all that encouraging and is expected to pick up on the first day of the match depending on the team batting first.
The Cricket Australia officials, including security manager Franc Dimasui, and BCCI officials visited the stadium and gave instructions for additional security measures. They also urged for extra exit points in case of any emergency.

On Tuesday, top police officials inspected the stadium and were engaged in a series of discussions with the HCA to evolve a comprehensive, fool-proof security plan for the match.

A former Test cricketer, who is now in HCA administration, said the entire area would be cordoned off and no one would be allowed into the stadium without a valid identity card. “No mobile phones will be allowed inside the stadium at any cost,” he said.

All vendors have been given clear instructions to sell eatables and refreshments only in plastic disposables, and no loose serving of the eatables and beverages from any large containers will be allowed.

“We are taking no chances,” HCA secretary M V Sridhar said. In 2010, Indian Premier League games were shifted out of Hyderabad due to the Telangana agitation.

Meanwhile, the Indian and Australian teams arrived here on Wednesday. After a day’s rest, both teams would practice on Thursday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uppal.