Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad   

Military Games open to public

PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

Top guns: Brigadier-General Gianne Gola, president of the CISM Military World Games, announcing opening of the Games venues to the public on Wednesday. Beside him is Anil Chait, GOC and Incharge of Operations of the WMG. -

HYDERABAD: The competition venues of the fourth Military World Games will be thrown open to the general public, but there would be mandatory security checks at the entrances, Maj. Gen. Anil Chait, GOC 54 Infantry Division, announced here on Wednesday.

“There was something wrong somewhere. Entry is not just by the passes issued through the Canara Bank,” he said appealing to Hyderabadis to turn out in large numbers and make the Games a big success. Only three days of action is left now.

Maj. Gen. Anil Chait pointed out that security was definitely on the higher side for obvious reasons. “We cannot take any chances. But we do understand the sentiments of sports-lovers. It’s our duty to ensure some dignity when they visit these venues,” he explained.

“Necessary instructions will be given to the personnel manning the entry gates to be polite with the common public too,” he added. When it was pointed out to him that the entry passes being issued through the bank were for only sporting action and not for the opening and closing ceremonies, Maj. Gen. Anil Chait revealed that it would not be the case. “We will earmark a large chunk of seats for common public at the closing ceremony,” he pointed out. “The reason why we were forced to issue entry passes is not just for security reasons but also to ensure that every fan who enters the stadia will be assured a seat,” he said to a query.

And, to his delight, Brig. Gen. Gianni Gola, CISM president, declared that this was the most successful ever edition of the Military World Games. “We express our gratitude to the Indian Armed Forces and the Andhra Pradesh Government for their commitment and zeal to ensure that the Games were a big success,” he said.

The Cyberabad Police Commissioner, S. Prabhakar Reddy, said the police had to be extra cautious on the security front for obvious reasons. “The recent incidents in the city can well be the reason. But considering that the country’s prestige is at stake in the conduct of the games, we are in no mood to take any chances,” he explained.

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