Hyderabad, April 09: Tight security cover would be thrown around the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium at Uppal for the matches of Indian Premier League-4.
Though only seven T20 matches are scheduled to be held here during a one month period, a tight security blanket would be thrown in and around the stadium.
More than 1,500 policemen would be deployed and commandos of Cyberabad police and Octopus would be stationed to deal with any emergency. Police, however, said there is no special intelligence input of possible terror threat to the matches.
Cyberabad police commissioner Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said 1,300 police personnel from the commissionerate and 250 from other units would be deployed as part of security arrangements.
“Special armed policemen would be guarding the stadium for effective surveillance and crowd control round-the-clock even on days when matches are not played,” Tirumala Rao said.
69 CCTV cameras would be installed at various points across the stadium. CCTVs would be installed at all inner and outer gates which are capable of recording happenings even at a far-off place from the gates.
Tirumala Rao said only one person would be allowed on a ticket. “Turnstiles have been arranged at every point and they will open only after the bar code on the ticket is read by the machine. Only one person would be allowed on a ticket and no attendant or security personnel, if any, of the ticket-holder would be given entry,” the CP said.
Policemen in mufti would be moving around the stadium to prevent any crimes.
Tirumala Rao also said that no articles including bags, mobile phones, cameras, binoculars, laptops or any electronic items would be allowed inside the stadium due to security reasons. Only water bottles would be allowed, he added.
Tirumala Rao said vehicles should be parked at places earmarked on the ticket.
Parking would be free of cost but owners would be responsible for their vehicles.
“Our crime parties would be maintaining vigil at parking lots to prevent thefts,” he said. Cars without vehicle passes would not be allowed into gate no 1 and also into the inner road between LG godown check post and Ek Minar check post.
On the lack of adequate fire safety measures at the stadium, which were pointed out in a petition filed in the ACB court on Thursday, Tirumala Rao said they had suggested some changes and the Hyderabad Cricket Association was taking adequate steps. On deployment of huge police personnel at one place when the crime rate in the Cyberabad limits is increasing, Tirumala Rao said they had to make such arrangements as the event is an international one.
—–agencies