SAG security budget swells after Pathankot attack

Following the Pathankot terror attack, the government of India is leaving no stone unturned as far as security for the South Asian Games, to be held jointly by Guwahati and Shillong from February 5 to 16, is concerned.And that’s the government will spend an additional Rs 60 crore on the security of venues and athletes, taking the total amount to be spent to Rs 90 crore, as Rs 30 crore was the estimated sum ealrier.

The main worry for the government is that both the host cities share border with countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar. And there is a history of border disputes and infiltration around these two areas of North-Eastern region.

The presence of local extremist groups such as National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) and Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) is also keeping the security establishment on tenterhooks.

Dna has learnt that the government had initially marked Rs 30 crore for the SAG security, but the budget was almost doubled because of a couple of reasons. One being the terror attacks at the Air Force station in Pathankot early this month. Another cause for beefing up of security is that prime minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the Games on February 5 at Guwahati.

The Games were originally planned from February 6, but was advanced by a day due to non-availability of Modi. President Pranab Mukherjee has been requested to be the chief guest at the closing ceremony, and if he agrees, a few more crore could add up to this already swelling budget.

A senior sports ministry official told dna on Monday, “The presence of top government leaders, local members of parliament (MPs), athletes and team officials, all this will make the SAG a high-profile event. All the venues and athletes would be accorded a three-layer security ring mostly by para-military forces, especially the Pakistan and Bangladesh contingents.

“Pakistan has already raised safety concerns for its athletes after threats from the Shiv Sena, while ULFA has a long-standing dispute with illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. The Indian government doesn’t want to compromise an inch on security front, that’s the reason why such a huge amount has been earmarked for security and safety of participating nations,” the official added.

No Games VillageAnother concern for the NDA-led BJP government is the absence of a games village for athletes and team officials for the 11-day regional multi-sport event. All the teams would be put in different hotels and different routes would need to be fully secured as and when athletes travel to different venues in Guwahati and Shillong.

It has been learnt that security equipments, which were purchased during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, have already been dispatched to SAG venues. An empowered committee and two implementation committees have also been formed to look into the security details.

According to top sources in the ministry, the prime minister’s office’s principal secretary and home secretary have separately held a meeting each in this regard. The home ministry had convened a meeting of all diplomats and high commissioners of all the South Asian countries recently to apprise them of the security arrangements.