New Delhi launches no peeing in public campaign

The Indian capital has launched a campaign to discourage urinating in public places -- a common sight across the country.The city of New Delhi, which is preparing to host the Commonwealth Games in October of next year, will soon be displaying large billboards along its gridlocked roads and on buses in a bid to embarrass those who urinate in public to end the practice, said Mayor Kanwar Sain.

The signs will feature three characters: Mr Thu-Thu Kumar (the spitter), Mr Kuda Kumar (the litterbug) and Mr Su-Su Kumar (the person who pees in public).

"The capital of India must be clean. We see how clean are places like Singapore. Then, why not Delhi?" Sain said.

Authorities will launch a similar campaign on television and radio, he said.

Urinating, spitting and littering in public are acts punishable with a fine of $10 or more in New Delhi.

Deep Mathur, the spokesman for the city's municipal corporation, said offenders had been prosecuted. He could not provide immediate figures about prosecutions aimed at sanitation control.

Bindeshwar Pathak, India's winner of the Stockholm Water Prize, which is awarded to those who contribute to the conservation and protection of water resources, welcomed the new campaign as a motivation for a cleaner Delhi. Nonetheless, he said India's capital needed at least 40,000 more well-maintained urinals and bathrooms.

Countrywide, India must build 112,000 toilets every day if it wants to meet its sanitation goal by 2012, according to the ministry of rural development.

Even as the South Asian nation emerges as a global economic power, millions of its citizens still live in poverty.

The government estimates that less than 30 percent of villagers have access to latrines, which poses serious health risks.

"Indians are clean individually, but community-wise their habits have not been very encouraging," said Pathak, who is credited with improving sanitation across cities, villages and slums. "Things, however, are changing now."

Beatrice Faumuina qualified for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi

Beatrice Faumuina qualified for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi next year with her first foray of the season yesterday.Competing at the Battle of the Cities meeting at North Shore's Sovereign Stadium, in far from ideal conditions, the 1997 world champion was out to 56.09m, just over the performance standard for the Games of 56m.

Faumuina, gold medallist in the discus at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur and the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, was extremely pleased.

"In today's conditions pretty rapt with it. It was my first outing in months, so I'm very happy," she said.

Instead of training over winter offshore, Faumuina and her coach Ross Dallow decided on a solid build-up in Auckland.

"We made the decision really early that it was a good idea to stay home and have a really heavy winter and I haven't even backed off that phase yet as much as I'd like to," she added.

Faumuina is ranked 44th in the world and third in the Commonwealth this year with her New Zealand title throw of 60.03m in Wellington in March.

A total of 100 women athletes in the world have thrown over 56m this year but only nine in the Commonwealth.

Australia's Dani Samuels, who won the world title at Berlin in August, heads the Commonwealth rankings with her title-winning throw of 65.44m.

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Faumuina was fourth with a throw of 59.12m - well below her best - when she was expected to medal. At the Beijing Olympic Games she failed to make the final, finishing 28th.

She has also been a controversial figure. Her fourth at Melbourne did not go down well but it was her behaviour at Beijing that caused most upset.

She became embroiled in a strange exchange with media and then agitated to go home early, rather than staying to support the team.

Dave Currie, the New Zealand team chef de mission, said she had to pay her own way home, upsetting Faumuina.

Currie said at the time all the New Zealand athletes were booked to fly home on a charter flight - as a team.

Those with post-Olympic competitions, such as professional football player Ryan Nelsen and road cyclist Julian Dean, had arranged to leave early before the games. Otherwise, athletes were meant to remain in Beijing as part of the team and travel home together, Currie said.

"People support you and you go out and support your mates," Currie said. "If Beatrice has gone, you'd have to say you're disappointed with her, but once somebody's gone, she's gone. The key right now is the team providing support for each other."