Deadly games

NDRF ready with anthrax treatments and antidotes for nerve gases during the 2010 Commonwealth Games to avert any terror attack

In the backdrop of FBI terror suspect David Headley's visit to India and looking at the educated class of people who are taking up terrorism, security forces are taking no chances.

Nearly eight battalions (8,000 personnel) of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are ready with prophylaxis for anthrax and antidotes for nerve gases during the 2010 Commonwealth Games where a galaxy of international communities will be converging in New Delhi.

With nearly 71 nations planning to field teams at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, a high-ranking official of NDRF told MiD DAY that the force will be ready in all the stadiums to meet any eventuality as these international events could be in the eyes of the terrorists who could try to create terror and panic.

The Commandant of NDRF Alok Awasthi told MiD DAY, "The profile of terrorists is changing. Gone are the days when only uneducated unemployed youth got into terrorism. Now well educated and techno-savvy youth are getting indoctrinated and hence we have to be ready to understand their mindset. Hence we have been asked to be on alert during the Commonwealth Games."

Bio-terrorism
He said the NDRF is concentrating mainly on two things, possibility of bio-terrorism through anthrax and the other through chemical warfare agents like releasing toxic gases like, nerve gas, mustard, phosgene, hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen chloride.

The NDRF force will be ready in different stadiums with Residual Vapour Detectors (RVD), Chemical Agent Monitors (CAM), Water Poisoning Detector kits, three colour detector papers etc which can immediately indicate if any dangerous chemical gas has been used by terrorists. Paraphernalia for decontamination of any such things are already ready, he added.

Awasthi said there was no need for people to worry as the NDRF is capable of tackling any eventuality.

"We will be carrying out mock drills in the venue of Commonwealth Games from January to create awareness among the people and also to test our teams."