Surajkund block: motorists upset

Ravi Ranjan (37) left for work on 7 am at Thursday. The time he hoped to make it to his Nehru Place office — less than 20 kms away from his Surajkund home — was 9:30 am. Thanks to the traffic restrictions due to the Commonwealth games shooting championship at Dr. Karni Singh shooting range near Tughlaqabad, Ranjan, a human resource consultant, and many other commuters like him, have had a nightmarish stint with traffic the last couple of days.

On Wednesday, Ranjan was among thousands of people living in the upmarket colonies of Charmwood village, Green Field and residential apartments near Surajkund, who were caught off guard due to closure of the Surajkund Road.

The Delhi traffic police had closed the road, which connects Surajkund in Faridabad with the Mehrauli - Badarpur Road in Delhi, on Wednesday morning to provide more security to the shooting range, the venue for the Commonwealth shooting championship.

The five-kilometre Surajkund Road stretch is used by those who live near Surajkund or want to avoid Badarpur Border, which remains clogged due to the construction of a flyover and a metro line.

Lack of Coordination

“The traffic restrictions were put in place by Delhi traffic police without any information to us,” said Raj Kumar, assistant commissioner of police (traffic), Faridabad.

“We were left with no option but to divert traffic from Surajkund round about towards Prahladpur,” Kumar added.

The traffic restriction will remain in place from 7 am to 6 pm on the Surajkund Road till February 28.

Delhi traffic police officers agreed that there was a “small lapse” in issuing an advisory tand “coordination issue” with the Faridabad traffic police.

“But a few things (regarding the traffic plan) were finalised only at the last minute,” joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg said.

Lessons learnt

Garg said the traffic police in Delhi reinforced its arrangements to ensure that the motorists were not inconvenienced. Many traffic policemen were deployed at congestion points to guide motorists.

“Though the volume of traffic was high, the situation was much improved because the traffic management was better and the motorists were also informed,” Garg said.

India Home Minister calls for calm

Amid concerns that fresh terrorist threats may cause international sportsmen to drop out of tournaments in India, Home Minister P Chidambaram said Wednesday adequate security would be provided to all visiting players.

Responding to a question on a recent warning by the chief of a Kashmiri militant organization that international sportsmen should not visit India, Chidambaram said: ""All security would be provided to players."

The Asia Times online newspaper claimed it had received a message Monday from Ilyas Kashmiri, chief of the militant Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, warning international players against visiting India. Kashmiri's outfit is said to be an operational arm of the al-Qaeda.

"We warn the international community not to send their people to 2010 Hockey World Cup, IPL (Indian Premier League cricket) and Commonwealth Games ... Nor should their people visit India - if they do, they will be responsible for the consequences," the message reportedly said.

The mail came two days after a terrorist bomb blast in a bakery popular with foreign visitors in the southern Indian city of Pune.

Eleven people died in the blast which was the first significant terrorist attack in India after the assault by 10 gunmen in financial hub Mumbai in November 2008.

New Zealand hockey officials said they were delaying departure of the national team for the World Cup in India as they further assessed the situation.

The hockey tournament is scheduled to be held in the Indian capital from February 28 to March 13.

"No one would be allowed to dictate terms to us," Chidambaram said at a press briefing after a security review meeting in Jammu, summer capital of India's northern Jammu and Kashmir state.

"Ilyas Kashmiri cannot dictate our course of action."

he disputed Kashmir region is divided into two parts, one administered by India and the other by Pakistan.

India has accused Pakistan of aiding and abetting separatist militants like Kashmiri. Pakistan denies the charge calling them freedom fighters.

India's Home Ministry on Monday reviewed security arrangements for four upcoming sporting events. Besides the hockey tournament, these are the Commonwealth Shooting Championship (February 17-28), the Indian Premier League cricket matches (March 13 to April 25) and the Commonwealth Games (October 3 to 14).

Federal Home Secretary GK Pillai said the government had put in place an elaborate arrangement for the shooting and hockey tournaments which are both to be held in Delhi.

"We are in close touch with security liaison officers of all countries that are coming here to participate. So far, all of them have seen the preparations done by the Delhi Police and the Home Ministry and they are quite satisfied."

Sportsmen have been wary of visiting Pakistan and India for tournaments after a spate of bombings in india in 2007 and 2008, the Mumbai incident and a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan's Lahore in March 2009.

Comedy of errors at C'Wealth Shooting opening

Fumbling officials and organisational chaos marked the opening of the Commonwealth Shooting Championships today where IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi stunned one and all by conceding that there are bound to "be some security lapses" in mega events like these.

Inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, the function turned out to be a comedy of errors where the mike malfunctioned at the most inopportune times, most jarringly when Commonwealth Games' multiple gold medallist pistol shooter Samresh Jung took the competitors' oath.

As Jung read out the oath, flanked by star trap shooter Manavjit Singh Sandhu, the poor sound system blurred out a part of the oath.

Security personnel outnumbered the 146 shooters -- 46 of whom Indian -- at the ceremony, also attended by Commonwealth Shooting Federation chief Graham Hudson, IOA secretary general Randhir Singh, Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Mike Hooper and officials from the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI).

A demonstration on sports casualty management had the sparse audience in splits as shooters were shown a skit on how injuries are dealt with on a hockey field, prompting Hudson to say, "It's so reassuring to see that medical help is at hand but we have quicker ways to deal with injuries in shooting." But the faux pas by Kalmadi, also the CWG Organising Committee chief, took the cake.

"There would be some security lapse here and there but everybody would be safe. All the foreign athletes are very happy with the security," he claimed.

Among other things he said, Kalmadi once again insisted that the infrastructure would be ready well in time for the Commonwealth Games in October.

"All the infrastructure would be ready in time. A few days here and there but it would all be world class. The Games Village would be better than the one we saw in the Beijing Olympics," he said.

The NRAI, embroiled in a court case over the tenure of its officials, chose to introduce its newly-appointed

President Avatar Singh Sethi as a Competition Manager.

Singh didn't even find a place on dais where now former former President Digvijay Singh sat in capacity of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) vice-President alongside Randhir and Dikshit.

Speaking on the tournament, Hudson said despite the many hiccups it has experienced in the past few months, the event would be a success.

"Obviously there is a lot of work to be done but once it is complete, this complex would be like any other in the world. The facilities here are the very latest and this would be a great test event for the Commonwealth Games.

The competition starts tomorrow and the tournament would conclude on February 27. Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra couldn't make the Indian team for the tourney after failing to turn up for the trials last year.

India reassures on security for sports events

India sought on Wednesday to reassure foreign teams that it would host a safe field hockey World Cup this month after a weekend bombing and alleged new threats raised fresh concerns over security.

We have made elaborate arrangements for the entire World Cup hockey event, Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP. The arrangements are foolproof.

Home Secretary G K Pillai said late on Tuesday that the government had put in place elaborate security measures to ensure an incident-free hockey tournament and Commonwealth Games in October in New Delhi.

We are in close touch with security liaison officers of all countries that are coming here to participate, Pillai told reporters. So far, all of them have seen the preparations done by the Delhi Police and the MHA (Ministry of Home Afffairs). They are quite satisfied.

New security concerns rose after last Saturday's bombing at a restaurant in the western city of Pune which killed 11 people, including an Italian woman and an Iranian man.

A previously unknown Islamist group that splintered from a larger organisation claimed responsibility for the attack in a call to an Indian newspaper.

The group, calling itself Lashkar-e-Taiba al-Almi, linked the attack to upcoming peace talks between India and Pakistan, set for February 25.

The India and Pakistan teams are set to meet on the first day of the hockey tournament which runs from February 28-March 13.

On Tuesday, the Hong Kong-based Asia Times Online news website said it had received a warning from Al-Qaeda-linked militant Ilyas Kashmiri about attacking sporting events in India.

The Pakistan-based extremist reportedly warned international competitors against going to the hockey World Cup, the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament that begins in March and the Commonwealth Games.

The report could not be verified by AFP, but the threat led New Zealand officials to delay the hockey team's departure for India until a security update had been received.

Hockey India, which is organising the World Cup in New Delhi, said no team had threatened to pull out of the World Cup.

As far as we know, all the 11 international teams are coming, said spokesman Anupam Ghulati. There are no concerns at all.

Any pull-out or disruption for India would be major blow as it gears up to host the Commonwealth Games in October, the biggest event on Indian soil since the Asian Games in 1982 which organisers hope could open the way to an Olympics bid.

In an interview to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian field hockey coach Ric Charlesworth brushed aside the security concerns.

Having lived in India, there are all sorts of threats every day and there are 80 news channels, Charlesworth told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Everyone is looking for a story. There is always a story like that. I don't think we can distract ourselves with that.

Tiny Armored Car Unveiled as India's Newest Anti-Terror Weapon

The tiny battery-operated vehicle can squeeze into service elevators and withstand grenade blasts

India has proven friendly to small vehicles in the past, but its new golf cart-sized armored car took us by surprise. The battery-powered Anti-Terrorist Assault Cart (ATAC) can carry two fully-armed soldiers or security officers along as is traverses narrow indoor corridors and rides service elevators in the hunt for evil-doers, Agence France-Presse reports.

The $45,000 vehicle also boasts bullet-proof windows that can survive grenade blasts, according to manufacturer Metaltech Motor Bodies Pvt Ltd. Its design was inspired by the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India where Islamist gunmen held off Indian commandos for 60 hours inside two luxury hotels. The final casualties included 17 security personnel among the 166 people killed in total.

Four firing ports would allow the armed driver and rider to fire at enemies from the safety of their vehicle, and could possibly offer more protection than a bunker shield carried by SWAT or elite police units.

One ATAC prototype on display at the DefExpo 2010 in New Delhi reportedly drew applause from both visitors and Indian military scientists. Metaltech hopes to offer the prototypes on a trial basis to sponsors of the Commonwealth Games scheduled for November in Delhi, as well as to India's National Security Guards.

Each car can run for about six hours on a single charge and speed along at 15 miles per hour (25 km/hr). That sounds about right for patrolling stadiums or airports; but don't expect to take one of these out for a run along the highway.

Competition will be stiff, says Jung

He was the hero of the last Commonwealth Games, winning seven medals including five gold, but pistol shooter Samaresh Jung said that he was not looking at the medals this time in the Commonwealth Shooting Championship, set for inauguration on Thursday.

Restricted to two events — air pistol and standard pistol — owing to a stringent selection process, Jung said that he was viewing the championship as a good platform to launch his campaign for the season.

Conceding that he was not in his best form, Jung said that it was a good competition in which one had a fair chance to beat the field, though one had to really work for it.

He was categorical that there were some good shooters from abroad, including Sri Lanka and that the Indian shooters would have to sweat it out to be able to repeat their success in the last Commonwealth Games where they won gold medals.

Narang confident

The other shooting star of the last edition, Gagan Narang, who had won four gold medals each in the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Championship in Melbourne, exuded confidence about improving his record to even six medals as he was competing in three events.

However, Jung knows that Warren Potent of Australia, the Olympic bronze medalist in Beijing, and champion in six World Cups apart from a World Cup final, will be the hot favourite in the 50-metre rifle prone event.

Narang, who has shed more than 10 kilograms in recent times, said that it was a challenge for him to shuffle between two sets of equipment. Though he was looking forward to the World Cups, Narang said that he was keen to give his best in the event at home and enhance the team's tally.

He pointed out that Australia was keen to get to the host and pay back for all the losses, but said that it would be important for him to keep his cool, particularly in the wind-swept 50-metre range, that could drive anyone crazy.

In with a chance

National coach Prof. Sunny Thomas said that there would be more chances for Indian shooters, as there were vacancies in three pistol events, which had only eight entries each, and the shotgun events for men.

There will be “zero shooters” filling up those spots, and they could be world record holder Ronjan Sodhi in double trap and Jung in one of the pistol events, for which he has not qualified — like free pistol or centre-fire pistol.

There will be two “zero shooters” in double trap, one in trap and five in skeet. The authorities are in the process of contacting the shooters to ascertain their availability and willingness to shoot even if their scores would not count.

The fate of the rapid fire pistol event which has only four entries is not known. The criteria for awarding medals in individual and team events that do not meet the minimum eligibility criteria in terms of number of entries had also not been decided upon by the authorities.

Chaos

With the private vehicles being denied entry into the range, the shooters depended on the official buses to reach the venue, and had to endure long delays. In fact, a bus load of volunteers from Army, trained shooters themselves, were denied entry at the range for hours, for lack of accreditation though they had been at the range the previous day as well.

Quite understandably, the shooters have resigned to the fact that it would be some time before things settle down and helps them focus purely on their shooting.

Games logistics behind schedule

With less than 230 days left for the Commonwealth Games (CWG), an internal audit by the organizing committee in the first week of February revealed that none of the key logistics such as security, accommodation and transport to move officials as well as athletes have been completed by the 16 February deadline.

A status report on the logistics, reviewed by Mint, indicate none of the 13 tasks associated with eight areas—security, ceremonies, sports, coordination, venue development, accommodation, technology and accreditation—have been completed. There had been no progress on any of the logistics since that assessment as of Wednesday, said a top government official familiar with the situation. The official did not want to be identified.

In all, there are 36 such areas that come under logistics. Mint could not independently review the status of the remaining areas.

Separately, another internal audit has found a similar slippage in developing the catering logistics for the CWG.

Alarmed by the slow pace, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had appointed a three-member official panel in November to the organizing committee to hasten work on the projects. Mint reported Singh’s decision on 4 November to get involved in ensuring that the infrastructure is ready in time for the CWG, the country’s biggest sporting event in 28 years, scheduled for 3-14 October.

According to the official cited above, much of the delay is due to the organizing committee’s failure to take timely decisions.

“The cancellation of tenders at the last minute, delay in clearing the request for proposals in various projects and too much confusion in who does what led to the delay in implementing the tasks,” said the official. “We are still in the danger zone.”

An official of the urban development ministry, which is assisting in the coordination for the CWG, concurred.

“There are so many things that are not defined,” he said, on condition of anonymity. “It is not clear as of now.”

The same official maintained that while physical infrastructure such as bridges and stadiums would be ready, support facilities such as scoreboards, camera positions and other sports-related issues may not be ready in time. The ministry will undertake a review of infrastructure projects with officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Development Authority on Thursday, the official added.

A separate audit reveals a similar slip-up in organizing the catering for the CWG. In November last year, the organizing committee decided to award the catering service for the Games Village to Australia-based Delaware North, the only international company that had qualified in the global tender. Nearly a month later, the organizing committee found that there were “technical gaps” in the bidding and decided to disqualify the company, which had teamed with the Taj Group.

Officials of Indian Hotels, which runs the Taj catering businesses, were not immediately available for comment, when called on the mobile phone.

Following an exchange of communication between officials in the organizing committee, on 3 February it once again issued a request for proposal (RFP) for catering service in the Games Village, where 36,000 meals would have to be dispensed for 12 days. The fresh RFPs are expected to be opened only after 24 February.

“It took almost three months for the organizing committee to disqualify the chosen company and re-tender for a new one,” said the first government official cited above. “There is no surety that we would get the fresh bids on similar or lower amount. Even if we do, it’s a high risk as importing the utensils and equipment for setting up such a large kitchen itself will take more than three months.”

Setting up a multi-cuisine kitchen for an international event takes time and involves several security issues as well, the official said.

However, Jarnail Singh, chief executive officer, organizing committee, told Mint that all the work would be completed and the venues handed over to Delhi police by 30 June. The lock down date for security is expected to be 1 September.