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Dickason reviews security arrangements

Special Correspondent

ECB’s CSO visits MAC Stadium, inspects ground and dressing room

— Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

TAKING STOCK: N. Srinivasan, BCCI Secretary, Reg Dickason, Chief Security Officer, ECB, and K.S. Viswanathan, TNCA Secretary at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

Chennai: ECB’s Chief Security Officer Reg Dickason visited the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. After inspecting the ground and the dressing room, he said, “We had some security concerns and those have been addressed.”

Chennai is the venue for the first India-England Test, scheduled to begin here on December 11.

Mr. Dickason held discussions with the BCCI Secretary and TNCA President N. Srinivasan and TNCA Secretary K.S. Viswanathan.

Meets CoP

Earlier in the day, he met K. Radhakrishnan, the city’s Commissioner of Police. Later, he interacted with the senior officials of the Taj Coromandel Hotel where the teams are expected to stay.

Mr. Srinivasan said, “As per our discussions, hopefully Chennai would be hosting the first Test.”

Mr. Viswanathan said several security measures would be put in place during the Test. “We have ensured that the entire stands, except the terrace, would be covered by a net in the event of any crowd trouble.”

Taking no chances

TNCA Joint Secretary Dr. G. Natarajan said, “We decided to go for the net after an ugly incident during the one-day match between India ‘A’ and Australia ‘A’ this year. We are taking no chances. The net can be pulled down in no time.”

All the practice sessions would be held inside the main stadium and not in any of the adjoining grounds.

“Even the media will not have access to the ground when the players are training. Perhaps, we can empty a part of the stands for the presspersons to follow the practice. The photographers too can shoot pictures from the stands,” said Mr. Viswanathan.

He revealed that Mr. Dickason had made enquiries about the alternate routes for the teams from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ground.

The teams will travel by different routes on different days.

Arindam Kunar, General Manager, Taj Coramandel, said the BCCI has asked the hotel to “tentatively” block rooms for the cricketers and officials staying in the city for the first Test.

Security strengthened

“We have already strengthened the security in and around the hotel following the incident in Mumbai,” he said. While the employment of a baggage scanner and a metal detector was a standard procedure, he said the lighting around the hotel had been increased.

He stressed enhanced peripheral security, tightly regulated entry and exit points, and more intense manual checks by hand-held scanners.

“The staff at the hotel have been told to quickly spot and report any suspicious movement or behaviour,” said Mr. Kunar.

The close circuit television will be in operation round the clock.

There are also plans to have separate floors in the hotel for the cricketers alone. Mr. Dickason is believed to have made this request. The floors will be guarded by commandos.

Mr. Dickason will inspect the stadium in Mohali, the venue for the second Test, on Thursday.

He will then submit his report to the ECB.

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