Commonwealth Games stadiums 'will be ready', says India sports minister

India's sports minister MS Gill has insisted Delhi's key stadiums will be ready for next year's Commonwealth Games and there will be no compromise on their "quality and safety" despite worrying delays in construction.

On an inspection to the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium, Gill said that the Delhi venue, once completed, would be on a par with the stadiums seen during the Beijing Olympics last summer.

The venue will host gymnastics, wrestling and cycling events and Gill's visit came on the back of a stinging attack in parliament last week over construction delays.

Gill said: "The stadium is a mighty complex and a technological marvel.

"Most of the work will be finished by December and the rest will be done by January or February. The Games are in October, so we still have a lot of time.

"I know we were behind schedule but we need to make sure that we do not compromise on quality and safety.

The work at the velodrome began late and raised speculation over whether the venue would be ready on time.

However, Gill said: "There was a debate over the cycling velodrome but we started it only in January 2009 as there were some issues to be sorted out. I think the Sports Authority of India and all the engineers are doing a fine job."

Last month Commonwealth Games officials admitted that two venues were behind schedule and changed their deadline by three months.

The Siri Fort Complex will host badminton and squash, while the Yamuna Sports Complex, which will stage archery and table tennis, and the The Delhi Development Authority has now rescheduled its finish date from December until next March.