U-turn: Games commission says Delhi OC okay, construction not

In October, Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell had said that the functioning of the Organising Committee (OC), and not the pace of building the infrastructure, was a bigger roadblock in Delhi’s bid to deliver a successful Games. “A lot of work remains to be done at the venues but that can be completed on time,” he had said, citing how the Ashoka Hotel, the venue for the CGF General Assembly, was renovated in less than six months’ time.

Two months later, the CGF has changed track, with its Coordination Commission (CoCom), after a three-day meeting to review progress, giving a thumbs-up to the Suresh Kalmadi-led OC, while expressing concerns about the pace of construction, fearing that, in some cases, the competition venues may not be ready until June next year.

“There has been noticeable progress over the last two months, however, with effectively only nine months remaining, the intensity must continue, and in fact, works must be accelerated,” CoCom chairman Austin Sealy said in a statement.

The Commission, Sealy said, was concerned that the timetable for venue completion had, in most cases, been extended by at least three months. “We urge the construction agencies to ensure that no further delays are encountered as this will place the OC in a difficult position and compromise final preparations and Games readiness,” he said.

The eight-member Commission, though, after going through a series of presentations and assessing key functional areas, including accreditation, village operations, security, technology, transport and venue operations, gave the OC a pat on the back. “There was a sense of energy and urgency from Suresh Kalmadi, the chairman of the OC, and the entire Delhi team about getting on with the job, which is a positive, and it is clear that everyone is committed to making these Games a success,” Sealy said.

OC vice-chairman Randhir Singh, who was coordinating with the commission, said Sealy’s feedback was a boost to their morale. “A lot of progress has been made in the last two months and CoCom has acknowledged that. Their positive remarks have given us a lot of confidence,” Randhir told The Indian Express.

The full report is expected to be out by the end of this month. As for the other outcomes of our meetings, a series of action items have been identified and will be summarised in the Commission’s final report on this meeting. CoCom will now share its findings with Fennell, who arrives on Friday for the OC’s Executive Board.