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Unmanned military aircraft and armed vehicles are just two additional security options the Indian government is considering to protect athletes during the Commonwealth Games.

Six days remain before Games officials and athletes from 71 nations start arriving in Delhi, with India’s top security official saying recent times have been “too quiet” in respect to terror threats.

More than 100,000 overseas visitors will also attend the international sporting event that kicks off from October 3-14.

Athletes will be most vulnerable to any potential attack when they travel from the Games village to compete at the sporting venues.

Exclusive laneways have been established, giving athlete buses green-light corridors.

But security teams are working to stop motorists from using the laneways in a city of 14 million people, which is home to gridlock.

Home Secretary G.K. Pillai says the government may add security measures in anticipation of any traffic “snarl-ups”.

“We most probably will plan for two escort vehicles which will escort the buses,” Mr Pillai told AAP from India.

“One will be on the side and one will be on the rear to give whatever physical protection to the buses apart from armed guards inside the bus.”

“In a few days time, I think, that will get sorted out.”

Last week, Mr Pillai revealed that Islamic militants from Pakistan have purchased up to 150 motorised paragliders from China and a number of Gulf countries.

He said the action has now been factored into the government’s security preparations for the Games.

“Basically, you have to knock them out of the sky before they can approach any of the venues or the Games village or things like that,” Mr Pillai said.

“We have maybe even the use of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to detect any such person who would take off from anywhere in the vicinity of about ten kilometres from around the venues.”

UAVs are used for reconnaissance and can be equipped for aerial attacks.

On Wednesday, a security adviser to the Games, D.R. Kaarthikeyan, told AAP that the lack of terrorist threats on the Games in the past few months was a “good thing”.

But Mr Pillai disagreed, saying the radio silence is “unusual”.

“It’s been a little unusual that we haven’t picked up much chatter,” he said.

“It should have normally been there as the Games come close.

“Yes, if you want to put it in one sense, it’s too quiet. But it doesn’t mean we are letting down our guard at all.”

The final handover of the Game’s venues happened only two days ago, Mr Pillai said, allowing security teams to conduct simulations in their entirety.
“We know it’s a high-profile event and one that terrorists would love to get at so we are not relaxing our vigilance for a second.”

At least 173 people were killed when members of the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) stormed a series of hotels and other nearby premises in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

“We have learned from our experience on 26/11,” Mr Pillai said.

“Here (in Delhi), we are anticipating something would come so we are prepared.

“Not only for the Games village and the venues, we were also looking to the entire city itself.”

He updated the figure of total police and paramilitary forces to 150,000 that will form a blanket of security over the city.

Mr Pillai denied claims that India security agencies choose not to pass on all intelligence information to the Australian government.

“I don’t think we have any reason not to share anything that we have,” he said.

The venues will go into full lockdown in the next few days, he said, and a 24-hour international security control room will operate from September 15.

“Those areas are already being locked down in phases so that at the last minute we don’t have to completely do the entire thing all over again,” Mr Pillai said.

Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) chief executive Mike Hooper is confident the security plans will be in place by the time the Games begin.

This week, he received a final security report from the CGF’s security consultant Intelligent Risks.

He has forwarded a synopsis to all 71 Commonwealth Games associations.

“It’s not pretending there’s more work to do because there is and the Games haven’t started yet,” Mr Hooper told AAP from Delhi.

“You can have the best planning in the world but it comes down to actually what happens on the ground at the time, and ensuring that appropriate security is in place to keep it safe and secure.”

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This post was submitted by Mudit Agrawal.

Thanks to news.smh.com.au