By IANS
Hyderabad : The Cyberabad police have asked the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) to pay Rs.4 million towards security arrangements for the third One-Day International between India and Australia to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here Friday.
Cyberabad Police Commissioner Prabhakar Reddy has issued notice to HCA asking it to pay Rs.4 million as “user charges” for the security arrangements in and around the stadium located at Uppal on the city’s outskirts.
Police had few years ago decided to collect user charges for security to be provided for various private events.
The notice took the HCA official by surprise, as the police had never demanded user charges for security arrangements in the past.
G. Vinod, HAC president who is also Andhra Pradesh minister for labour, told reporters that the cricket body would consider the notice and take appropriate action.
Police have been making elaborate security arrangements for the match in view of the Aug 25 bomb blasts at a park and a famous eatery here, which killed 44 people, and the May 18 blast at the historic Mecca Masjid, which claimed nine lives.
About 10,000 policemen have been deployed to provide security and ensure smooth traffic around the stadium, which has a capacity of 39,000.
Police have already taken control of the stadium and are not taking any chances in view of the continuing intelligence alert. Dozens of bomb disposal squads have been scanning every inch of the ground and the stands. Metal detectors have been installed at all the entry points.