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New Delhi, Sep 23 (IANS) Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram Thursday reviewed security arrangements for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games with members of the Organising Committee (OC) and expressed concern over delays in handing over the venues to security agencies ahead of the mega sporting event.
Chidambaram, according to sources, told OC members that 'no further delays will be allowed' as security arrangements have to be put in place much before the event begins next month.
The home minister has now set final timelines for the committee and other authorities to complete the works before the venues could be sealed by security agencies, sources said.
The meeting was also attended by union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai and Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal.
Allaying security fears expressed by foreign athletes and delegates and highlighted by the international media, Dadwal told reporters that the Delhi Police was geared to take over the venues to safeguard them.
'Once the venues are handed over, full security will be provided and there need not be any concern about security.
'I assure international athletes that there is fool-proof security for the Commonwealth Games. There is no doubt about it,' Dadwal said.
Chidambaram's meeting came ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with Sports Minister M.S. Gill and Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy to discuss preparations for the Games amid mounting criticism from some countries participating in the Games.
The prime minister has intervened again after a foot overbridge near the main Games venue Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed Tuesday, the day several foreign contingents complained about the Games Village with some describing it as 'filthy and unlivable'. The next day, Wednesday, a portion of the roof in the stadium complex also collapsed.
The accidents came as a major blow to India's preparations for the Games, with the concerned authorities drawing flak from all quarters.
In a bid to fix things before the Games, only 10 days away, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dik**** visited the Village to take stock of the situation Thursday morning. Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, who is overall in-charge of the completion of the ongoing work at the Village, also met Delhi's Lt. Governor Tejinder Khanna.
Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 countries and territories are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India's biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games.
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