To go out of their hotel,players must tell security men 4 hours in advance

Around 1,000 policemen of the UT Police have been deployed in and around hotel Taj,where the two teams are staying. While the Pakistani team arrived in the city on Friday and had a practice session at the Mohali ground on Saturday,the Indian players preferred to stay in the hotel.

The policemen in the hotel Taj have been issued special passes to ensure that no unauthorised person is able to breach the security net. The police have also installed various barricades leading to the Taj. The road stretch outside the hotel was closed when the Indian players arrived there.

Sources said that in the wake of the recent claim by Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik that there was a ‘serious attempt’ to carry out a terror attack during the World Cup,the security agencies in the city are not taking any chances. The security has been beefed up across the city and sharp-shooters have also taken positions atop the Taj hotel and other building leading to the Mohali stadium.

The police have designated four routes for the teams to reach Mohali from hotel Taj and the decision on which one is to be taken by the team is decided in the last minutes by top security officials. Sources said that the Union Home Ministry is also being kept informed about the security arrangements for the match.

“There is a list of do’s and don’ts for the players and team officials,” he informed. The advisory has asked players to inform security men at least four hours in advance if they plan to go out of the hotel.

Meanwhile,an exhibition at the Taj had to wind up as the exhibitors of Designers World 2011,a two-day lifestyle exhibition,were told that it could not be held as the cricketers were in the hotel. “We have bee told that because the cricketers are staying here,we are to shut down the exhibition,” said Minni Batra,who had come from Delhi for the exhibition.

Sonal Ganatra,who came come from Mumbai,said that it took them two hours to set up the stalls. “And at about 12:30 pm,the security people asked us to wrap up,” she said while packing her bags to leave.