Games a terrorist target, says accused bomber

AN accused bomber has confirmed the New Delhi Commonwealth Games are a terrorist target, Indian police say.

Shehzad Ahmed reportedly told police suicide bombings at the Commonwealth Games had been discussed by terror group Indian Mujahideen.

Ahmed, 21, is accused of planting a bomb in the centre of New Delhi in September 2008. Five explosions ripped through a children's amusement park, killing 26 people and injuring 150 others. Ahmed is also accused of killing a police inspector the pervious day.

Police say Ahmed told them more terrorist acts were planned. "He told us they (Indian Mujahideen) wanted to conduct a spate of attacks on people of importance so that the country is perceived unsafe for any big international event like the Commonwealth Games," a senior police officer said.

"Before Delhi, the group had conducted blasts at Jaipur, Surat, Ahmedabad, Varanasi and had never been caught. This gave them the confidence that they will never be arrested.

"The bombers never carried mobile phones to any bomb-blast spot. One person was in charge of storing all the mobile phones on the day of the blasts. The bombers knew the police could reach them through mobile phone surveillance."

Police will test security arrangements for October's Commonwealth Games during the hockey World Cup in New Delhi, from February 28 to March 13.

"Though the threat perception to the hockey World Cup is not as high as that of the Commonwealth Games, the standard operating procedures would be the same to check the operational preparedness, reaction time and way of handling any emergency," an official said.

The multiple agencies involved in security arrangements are the district police, traffic police, security cells, central paramilitary forces, intelligence agencies and civic authorities.

The hockey World Cup will be held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in the heart of Delhi, where the Commonwealth Games are to be staged from October 3-14.

Australia is sending a team to the hockey World Cup.

An team of about 600 athletes and officials will be chosen for the Commonwealth Games.

The team is likely to be shadowed by Australian security staff, including police and the military.

British athletes are expected to be accompanied by Scotland Yard officials.

Delhi Games force Pakistan diplomats to move home

New Delhi's preparations for the Commonwealth Games have forced a group of Pakistani diplomats to search for new homes after their residential enclave was earmarked for a new road project.

The state-owned Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said the houses of the four Pakistani envoys stood on an 11.2 acre (4.5 hectare) site occupied illegally by a private builder in the Indian capital's upscale Vasant Vihar diplomatic enclave.

Diplomats from Australia and the Ivory Coast also have to leave their homes after the DDA won control of the plot in August last year following a marathon legal tussle.

“There is a sense of loss,” said Shah Zaman Khan, public affairs minister at the Pakistani embassy.

The leafy bungalows listed for demolition had been home to successive Pakistani diplomats posted in India since 1991.

“It was almost a Pakistan compound in India and now the four of us will be scattered across the city... Our families will miss this place terribly,” Khan told AFP.

The road that will be built through the site is part of a massive infrastructure project aimed at preparing New Delhi for the Commonwealth Games in October.

Rights group say 100,000 homeless people in New Delhi have been kicked out of night shelters because of the city-wide facelift.

Olympic champion Jamie Staff considering pulling out of Commonwealth

Olympic champion Jamie Staff looks set to join a growing list of athletes who are planning not to compete at this year’s Commonwealth Games.

The Games, which are scheduled to be held in Delhi, India in October, have been surrounded by fears over security, which has thrown England’s attendance at the championships into doubt.

Staff, who lives in Brabourne, near Ashford, is a big supporter of the Commonwealth Games and has featured in the last two at Manchester in 2002 and Sydney in 2006, winning two silver medals and a bronze.

But growing fears over security after terrorist attacks in Mumbai and Lahore in the last two years and concerns regarding the completion of venues have left the 36-year-old contemplating pulling out of competing and even given the choice, he wouldn’t make the trip to India this year.

He said: “I personally don’t want to go and I’m not even sure if the track will be ready in time. There is a lot of speculation around it at the moment. It’s a shame because the Commonwealth Games are normally a fun event, but no one seems to be worrying about it this time round.”

With a back injury likely to force him out of next month’s World Track Cycling Championships in Poland, missing the Commonwealth Games would end Staff’s hopes of a major medal this season.

Staff's comments echo the opinions of a number of athletes, who have stated their fears of travelling to compete in India. This week world heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis said she had pulled out of competing because it did not fit with her training schedule.

Fellow Olympian Lisa Dobriskey, from Ashford, has also hinted she may have to think about adding the Games to her schedule for this year.

Top shooters should get exemption of trials like Bindra: Samresh

The special exemption from trials given to Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra should be extended to other top shooters as well, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Samresh Jung has demanded.

"It is good that Abhinav has got this exemption but I think it should not be a one-time thing. There are others like Gagan Narang, Sanjeev Rajput who are getting good scores on the international circuit," Samresh, who was named the best athlete of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, said.

"Instead of trials, the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) should consider the international scores for inclusion in the team," he added.

Abhinav, who has been training abroad, has not been included in the Indian squads for this month's Commonwealth Championships to be held here as well as the ISSF World Cups in Sydney from March 20-28 and in Beijing from April 16-25 after failing to turn up for the selection trials.

However, after the recent controversy, the NRAI decided to exempt the ace shooter from attending the trials for the next two World Cups to be held in Fort Benning, USA from May 22-31 and in Belgrade from June 26-July 7.

On the issue of hiring a coach on his own, a move that was criticised by the Sports Minister M S Gill, Jung said he had no choice as any further delay in appointing a coach would have hurt their medal prospects in the Commonwealth Games.

Samresh and five top pistol shooters -- Ronak Pandit, Amanpreet Singh, Heena Sidhu, Ruchit Kapadia and Upasana Parasrampuria hired renowned Ukrainian coach Anatoli Poddubni on their own to train them at the National camp. Gill criticised the shooters for taking the step, saying they could have been more patient.

"We have waited a lot. Czaba Gyorik of Hungary left just after the Beijing Olympics and no one has replaced him in the last 18 months. In India the administrators always wake up at the last moment.

"We had an opportunity before us and we availed it rather than wait for the federation to wake up," said Jung, who fetched seven medals including five gold medals in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

"Other countries are far ahead in training. They have specific coaches. In Pistol shooting only we have five events thus every shooter needs personal attention. We don't regret our decision as nothing has been done in this regard in last 15 days," he added.

On his medal prospects at the Commonwealth Games, Jung said it would be difficult to repeat the golden success of Melbourne edition.

"I have participated in all four medal events in Melbourne which seems to be unlikely now. We have many talented Pistol shooters now and the competition is tough. Of course I will try to get selected in maximum events," said the ace shooter.

Jung was also optimistic about getting enough ammunition for practice this time.

"The problem is not that serious this time. I hope we will get enough ammunition for practice. Sports ministry has also liberalised and rationalised procedures for import of weapons and ammunition and resale of used weapons by 'renowned shooters'. I think it will help us a lot," he said.

Indian Open winner Deep Chand vows a podium finish at CWG 2010

Tired but happy after winning the Mawana Sugars Indian Open marathon, Army runner Deep Chand today exuded confidence that he will clinch a podium finish at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in the capital later this year.

''I am preparing hard for the Commonwealth Games. I am happy with our preparations and I am definitely going to run well and am confident of winning a medal.

''I cannot say whether the medal will be a gold, silver, or a bronze. But I promise you that I will definitely win a medal,'' Deep Chand told UNI.

''The Commonwealth Games marathon will be run on this route so running here has given me a good feel of the course. The training has been going extremely well under the supervision of the army coaches. ''I will participate in some more events before the Commonwealth Games. The doctor
has advised me to rest for another 25 to 30 days.

I will start my training for the Commonwealth Games after that,'' he added.

Deep Chand, the winner in the Indian section of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon last year, was however, not happy with his timing of 2hrs, 22mins and 33 secs.

''I am out of form as I was injured and could not train for a long time. I was also on leave for almost a month which resulted in a long gap in my training,'' he rued.

''The heat was too much which made it difficult to give a good timing. ''Santosh, a runner from Railways was with me till the third round but my coach warned me that he may overtake me and urged me to run faster. So I increased my speed but still I am not happy with my timing,'' he added.

Deepchand, who belongs to the Rajputana Rifles, informed that he felt exteremely proud after winning in front of the officers and soldiers of his regiment.

''Winning this event is a great feeling. My regiment is based here in Delhi. All the officers and jawans of my regiment are present here to cheer me on. I felt that I simply had to win for their sake. So winning this event has given me a lot of happiness and pride,'' he informed.

Haryana demands over Rs300 cr for police infrastructure, CWG

Haryana today demanded one-time grant of over Rs 300 crore from the Centre to help it in strengthening police infrastructure to ensure law and order ahead of Commonwealth Games to be held in neighbouring Delhi.

Hooda urged the Centre to provide special grant of Rs312 crore for strengthening the police infrastructure in the National Capital Region (NCR).

He sought Rs35.41 crore for achieving integration of infrastructure and security-related technology for the Commonwealth Games, slated to be held in October 2010, and megacity status for the NCR towns of Gurgaon and Faridabad.

Proposals for the one-time grant and security needs for the Games have already been submitted to the Centre.

Speaking at the conference of chief ministers on internal security, convened by prime minister Manmohan Singh here, Hooda demanded three more India Reserve Battalions and one women's Battalion to meet the challenges posed by the rapid economic expansion and the resultant population explosion in the NCR.

Outlining the steps taken to beef up security, especially in the NCR, Hooda said the state government had created police commissionerate at Faridabad, the second such set-up in the
NCR after Gurgaon.

"We propose to raise four Quick Response Teams of Commandos on the pattern of NSG. They will be stationed at vulnerable locations such as Gurgaon, Faridabad, Panipat and Panchkula," the chief minister said.

On the issue of creation of State Industrial Security Force on the pattern of CISF, Hooda said that the matter, recently referred by the Union ministry of home affairs to the state government, was being examined on a priority basis.

The chief minister said that instructions had been issued to all district units for strengthening the security at places of worship, historical monuments and iconic installations.

Special steps have been taken to monitor the security of oil pipelines and installations like depots, godowns and refineries, among others.

"Oil installations should have the best possible security cover from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and a policy decision in this regard may be taken by the Central government," Hooda said.

"In addition, for Gurgaon and Faridabad, commando units have been placed at Bhondsi to serve as the Elite Response Unit and Special Intervention Unit," he said.

Property pair set to cash in on Commonwealth Games site

TWO of Britain's richest men will cash in on a massive Commonwealth Games land-grab in one of Scotland's poorest areas.

A Sunday Mail investigation has revealed that a firm owned by billionaire property barons Robert and Vincent Tchenguiz are due to get a bumper payout of public cash for land they own in Glasgow's east end.

Glasgow City Council are buying up tracts of wasteground and derelict buildings that will be redeveloped and turned into the athletes' village for the 2014 Games.

They are still negotiating with a handful of private owners, including the Tchenguiz brothers' firm Fairhold. The company own a 1.1-hectare plot of land bordered by Spring field Road and London Road.

Property law expert Professor Tom Guthrie, of Glasgow University, said: "A sum of compensation is paid, because the individuals stand to lose their land. People can't fix their own price but, if the process has to be carried out quickly, then the council could end up paying over the odds."

The Tchenguiz brothers, based in Mayfair, London, own or manage 300,000 buildings. They have been known to trade £750million a day on the financial markets.

Another private owner who will be bought out under compulsory purchase orders is chip shop owner Mario Lucchesi, 82.

His son Richard, 40, said: "My dad has worked in the area for 60 years and built up the business from scratch.

"Maybe if he was younger, he would fight this."

A council spokesman said the compensation figures were "commercially sensitive" and would not be made public.