By IANS
Hyderabad : India is hosting the fourth Military World Games here, the biggest sports event after Olympics in terms of participation. But the people of Hyderabad have been left out of it.
More than 5,000 athletes from 102 armed forces around the world were greeted with empty stadiums, in sharp contrast to the Afro-Asian Games held here in 2003 and the National Games earlier.
Major General Anil Chait, General Officer Commanding of 54 Division stationed here, has now announced that except for the closing ceremony Sunday, entry to all stadiums would be free.
People will also be allowed to carry bags and water bottles. However, there will be security checks at entry points. Security personnel have been instructed to be polite with spectators and not to insist on their identity.
Stunned by the poor public response, he appealed to people to turn out in large numbers and make the Games a big success.
Going a step forward to win the hearts of sports-lovers, the authorities announced that free transport would be arranged from three different points in the city.
Earlier, entry passes to various venues were issued through Canara Bank but found few takers.
The officer clarified that the passes were issued to ensure a dignified entry and complained that the message on security was wrongly reported.
He said security was a concern because of the present scenario and in view of the recent bomb blasts in the city.
“We can’t take chances because of the presence of large number of participants from various countries. We have to follow a procedure but this does not mean that we will not allow people to witness the events,” he said.
The distance of the venues from the city is another reason for the poor turnout.
Gacchibowli sports complex, where a majority of the events are taking place, is around 20 km from the heart of the city while events like football are taking place in the cantonment area in Secunderabad, which is also quite far from the city centre.