Commonwealth Games delegates to start arriving today

As the first batch of delegates for the Commonwealth Games are expected to arrive in the Capital on Wednesday, the Multi Agency Coordination Centre (MACC) has started functioning at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).

According to airport sources, MACC will have representatives from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Delhi Police, Organising Committee, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and various ministries. The members of MACC will have the list of delegates and athletes and their schedule.

“We have already got the list of delegates arriving at the T3 and the list will be updated on a daily basis. Those who are arriving will be escorted by the CISF and Delhi Police. They will be then handed over to the security agency who will take them to their respective destinations,” an airport source said.

He added, “We have expected the movement of over 15,000 delegates and athletes but the numbers have come down to about 14,000. Currently, we have the list of 4,000 delegates from different countries but the list will be updated on daily basis.”
The embassy official concerned will also be a part of the MACC and a protocol will be followed to escort the delegates and athletes.

A flood of Games participants from over 70 countries will come. But additional tourist traffic from less than half of those countries is expected. “They will be put in exempted category and most of them are coming from chartered flights,” the source said.

Security drill at IGI T3

With the airport gearing up to receive the Commonwealth Games visitors and athletes after a week, Delhi Police and other concerned agencies carried out a security drill at the new terminal to assess the preparedness of agencies that have been posted there.

According to DCP O P Mishra, the drill that had been organized by Delhi Police was a huge success. "The drill was carried out in light of the Commonwealth Games. About two or three simulated exercises were carried out to assess the response time and preparedness of the various agencies. The drill involved the fire department, DIAL, CISF, the bomb disposal squad and other related agencies. No inconvenience was caused to passengers,'' he said.

The exercise was undertaken outside the arrival terminal at the new T3. The drill went on between 12.30pm and 2pm and involved scenarios like a blast near the terminal and the discovery of any suspicious object at the boarding point. "A few possible security related scenarios were enacted. In one case, we saw how security agencies would act if one found a suspicious object at the boarding point where athletes would be boarding buses. The possibility of a blast was also scrutinized,'' added Mishra.