Match to be played at Eden Gardens : Bengal Gov

Kolkata, Nov 27 (UNI) With the threat of e-mail looming large on the touring Pakistan team, the team hotel here has been converted into a fortress and the West Bengal Government asserted that the second cricket test match between India and Pakistan would be held as per schedule.

''Kolkata police are taking all security measures. The match will definitely be played at the Eden Gardens,'' Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray told reporters.

City Police Commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborty said there would be ''foolproof arrangements'' for both teams.

''The teams will be escorted by convoys from their hotels to the stadium, and there will be adequate arrangements everywhere,'' he said.

Joint Commissioner (Administration) P K Chatterjee said, ''We have taken all possible security measures. There is no room for any mistake.'' The e-mail, sent to a New Delhi news channel yesterday, said attacks would be carried out during the second Indo-Pakistan test match starting November 30.

The threatening e-mail, sent from the address [email protected], also hinted that Pakistan's cricketers were the prime targets.

The officials at the TV channel forwarded the e-mail to the Kolkata police headquarters, following which a high-level meeting was called.

A heavy security blanket was thrown around the hotel where the teams checked in, while policemen with metal detectors and other gadgets were carrying out a strict frisking.

Similar arrangements were also being made in and around the Eden Gardens, police said.

Officials of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) were also confident that the Test will be played peacefully.

'' We are yet to receive any communication from the police in this regard. But we are not worried, '' CAB Joint Secretary Samar Pal said.

While the RAF were manning the four entry points, inside on both floors of the hotel, where the teams were staying, were the Quick Reaction Teams, SAF personnel and Bomb Disposal squad.

Earlier, the entire hotel had been sanitised with metal detectors and sniffer dogs, and the vantage points not only in and around the hotel, but also the route the teams will take to the stadium had been put under close watch.

Mr Chatterjee said, ''Keeping in mind the e-mail threat, we have appointed Deputy Commissioner (Reserve Force) Dilip Banerjee to oversee the security measures, and four other IPS officers will be actively working with him. '' Mr Chatterjee further said, ''This time in addition to the metal detectors to frisk individuals, police have arranged for baggage scanners like we find in the airports to see the baggages.'' Eds: Pls pick up suitably from earlier related series.

UNI