Water-tight security at Uppal Stadium

Hyderabad: In view of December 6, which is considered as sensitive day across the country for on this day 27 years ago the disputed structure at Ayodhya was demolished, unprecedented security has been made for the T-20 cricket match between India and West Indies to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket stadium at Uppal on Friday.

Round-the-clock anti-sabotage checks with the help of bomb disposal teams and Organisation for Counter Terrorist Operations (OCTOPUS) force will guard the stadium until the match is completed.

The stadium is under surveillance of 300 CCTV cameras which will be monitored from the joint command and control room at the stadium.

Addressing the media along with former Indian cricketer and president of Hyderabad Cricket Association Mohammed Azharuddin on Thursday, Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat said high security has been decreed for the match and for the safety of the audience and players.

The stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 40,000 and in order to avoid any untoward incidents during the match day around 1,800 policemen from various wings of the police departments, including security (255), traffic (350), Law & Order (909) members and district forces and Arms forces (4) platoons, mounted police, SB, CCS, CCRB, IT Cell, Cybercrimes, Armed Reserved staff and fire tenders (5) with fire-fighting squad were deployed for the bandobast.

Bhagwat said scanners were also installed at the stadium to detect explosives and other prohibited material inside the venue.

The services of bomb disposal team and sniffer dogs were pressed into service to ensure safety in the stadium and at parking places. Check posts were set up at all the entry points of stadium to carry out anti-sabotage check and frisking of persons.

An escort vehicle of law and order is being arranged along with escort vehicle of City Security Wing and a road clearance party, specifically for route clearance was spared for congestion free entry and exit of the players and VIPs and VVIPs into the stadium.

Separate teams are being deployed for checking the movements of antisocial elements. There will be four mobile technician teams at each gate for checking of spectators' mobile phones.

Metro rail authorities have announced that they would be operating the services up to 1 am for the convenience of the spectators. A separate SHE team and Anti-Eve-Teasing team has been set up for the safety of women.

A separate vendor supervising (Vigilance) teams are deployed to control the vendors. Keeping the spectators count in view, the number of ambulances increased from 3 to 8 for immediate medical service and the number of fire engines is increased from 4 to 5 in order to curtail the fire incidents.

The spectators are not allowed to carry laptops, banners, water bottles, cameras, cigarettes, electronic items, matchbox, lighters, sharp metal plastic objects, binoculars, coins, writing pens, batteries, helmets, perfumes, bags and outside eatables inside the stadium.