Tight security in JLN Stadium for C'Wealth closing ceremony

The Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium will turn into a virtual fortress for the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony on Thursday as hundreds of armed men will be deployed around the structure and spectators will have to undergo checks at four security points.

Around 7,500 security personnel will be deployed in and around the stadium, which has a capacity of 60,000 seats, while IAF choppers will survey the skies and snipers at rooftops will keep a hawk-eye vigil.

A four-layered security cordon will be thrown around the stadium for the closing ceremony. It has 19 entry points where card readers, door frame metal detectors and X-Ray baggage machines have been installed.

Mobile quick reaction teams will be deployed on the outer perimeter of the venue besides keeping a close watch through CCTV surveillance. At the outer cordon of the stadium, traffic will be stopped and access controlled.

At the middle cordon, securitymen will channelise the spectators to their designated seats while in the inner cordon, the barcode reading of tickets will take place and the spectators' photos captured.

At the centre will be the exclusion zone which is in the 30m radius of the stadium, where spectators and guests will undergo a check through door frame metal detectors and X-Ray scanning besides manual searching.

Only those with valid parking stickers will be allowed near the stadium.

Delhi police yesterday came out with an advisory for those headed to the stadium for the closing ceremony, saying it has learnt lessons from the difficulties faced by spectators during the inaugural extravaganza.

Its advisory include information on blockage and restrictions on roads and which metro station to alight on if one has to enter the stadium through a particular gate.

There are three metro stations -- Jorbagh, JLN and Jangpura -- near the stadium and for example, if someone has to enter the stadium through Gate No 6, he has to get down at Jorbagh station and not any other station.