Centre sanctions Rs 80 crore to the force for strengthening security for the Games

The terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore has put the Indian establishment in top gear, which will be very soon hosting two mega sporting eventsu00a0the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

With a view to helping the Delhi police to strengthen its ranks for handling the security for the Commonwealth Games and buying security inventory, the Union government has cleared Rs 80 crore for the force.

Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal told MiD DAY that the demand of funds by the Delhi police for modernisation and strengthening their ranks has been sanctioned by the government. "I cannot quote the exact amount, as I am out of town," Jaiswal told MiD DAY over phone.

He said being the national capital, Delhi has always been a prime target for militants and the government was committed to providing incident-free Games. "We will ensure that no loophole is left in the security apparatus for the Games," Jaiswal said.

The Minister also confirmed the re-constitution of a high-level committee to monitor the security arrangements of the Games. "The committee has been re-constituted with representatives fromu00a0 defence forces, state police and para-military under the chairmanship of the Home Secretary. The committee monitors the security preparedness on a daily basis," Jaiswal said. Apart from this a Commonwealth Games security review committee headed by additional secretary has also been formed in the Home Ministry.

However, Delhi police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat refused comment, saying: "We don't have any such information."