Delhi's security a nightmare

Sorry for no blog entries in the last few days. I have flown down to India to be part of the FICCI Sports Summit 'Turf 2010' here in New Delhi, so have been out all day.

And you feel the tension in town ahead of the big sporting event. We are only a day, actually hours away from the opening of the 2010 Commonwealth Games and New Delhi is on high alert. This is something very normal when such a high profile event is about to take place, but some aspects of the security set-up and implementation can only be termed ridiculous. And that is to say the least. I might be wrong, but sometimes I feel more insecure then secure, which I doubt is the intention of the security services. And if I as a half-India/half-German feel so, I bet many of the foreigners in town will feel it even more...

Certain hotels have been closed off completely for the public, only persons having a CWG2010 access card can enter such hotels. Now if this is the case then no normal guests should be allowed to stay there and only CWG2010 contingents, media, etc should stay at such hotels to avoid hassles for people.

I give you a simple example of what happened to me. I on Thursday evening wanted to meet my aunt, who was down in Delhi at her hotel and have dinner with her. I went to the hotel and said at the main entrance I came to the hotel to meet my aunt, have dinner, and go back to my own hotel. Nothing more and nothing less. Without the necessary pass I was not allowed to enter and we then tried the hotel next door, there the same issue. Due to security matters we weren't allowed in without such a CWG2010 pass. It ended with me going back to my own hotel, having my food there and my aunt eating at her hotel. We meet after about a year so it would have been nice to eat and chat, but due to the Commonwealth Games it wasn't to be.