PM Manmohan Singh urged to clear air on Games preparation

Former Union Minister of State for Sports Vijay Goel on Monday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to come clean on the issue of Commonwealth Games preparations as with just 285 days to go for the event, the Games Organising Committee, Commonwealth Games Federation chief, Union Sports Minister and Delhi Chief Minister were all making different noises about it.

Mr. Goel criticised the Chief Minister for playing political games in the name of the Games.

“Since 1998 Ms. Dikshit has been in power while the Games came to Delhi in 2004. All through her 11-year regime she has been claiming to have brought tremendous development to Delhi but now `that the Games are fast approaching she insists that she is nervous whether all preparations would be completed on time or not,” he said at a press conference.

Cautioning that all this could be a ploy to further increase the cost of preparing for the Commonwealth Games 2010, Mr. Goel said it has already crossed Rs.10,500 crore.

He also feared that the Delhi Government and the Organising Committee may start giving arbitrary orders in the name of avoiding delays that might escalate the cost. Mr. Goel said: “This is unprecedented. The event is meant to showcase a country for its sporting prowess and planning. But what do we have here? Leaders showing us as a confused people and a nation while not doing anything for the players.”