Transfers in DDA may affect Commonwealth Games work

Months before the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was to complete the two Commonwealth Games complexes — Siri Fort and Yamuna Sports Complex — the land agency has transferred key officials of the project. Interestingly, it has also extended the internal deadline that had been set for completion, from March 31 to May 31 now.

While top DDA officials claimed the move was administrative, sources in the agency said the transfers couldn’t have come at a worse time. ‘‘The projects are at a critical state, and any new official who takes charge will need some time to understand the issues,’’ said a senior official. It’s especially critical for the Siri Fort Sports Complex, which will be hosting the Asia Badminton Championship in April. Sources said while the FOP (field of play) and playing courts have been completed at the squash and badminton stadium, a large part of the work still remains to be completed. This was supposed to have been finished by this month-end.

Sources said the reason why the officials were removed at both complexes was delay in work — a fact that is apparent from the extended deadline. However, officials working on the project maintain the current delay is a result of initial lack of initiative by top DDA brass in the early days of preparation. Said an official, ‘‘We had been given only 18 months for actual execution of the project, the schedule of which has been maintained throughout. The maximum delay had taken place during the planning phase.’’ It’s an accusation that DDA’s top brass refused to comment on when contacted. Site officials, meanwhile, claimed they were being held responsible for what the senior officials have effected.

Interestingly, the DDA V-C conducts a weekly monitoring of both Commonwealth Games projects while senior officials apparently keep a close daily watch.

Caught between the politics of the DDA administration are the sports complexes, which will now take longer to be completed. Earlier in March, DDA had inaugurated the archery stadium at the Yamuna Sports Complex, despite the fact that it is yet to be finished. Neither is the table-tennis stadium at the same venue nor the training courts are ready yet. It’s the same story at the Siri Fort Complex, where a large part of the work at the squash and badminton stadium is yet to be completed. The training areas are also still in the process of completion, while the swimming complex, which is the training venue for the Games, is not even 50% complete. The badminton test event, meanwhile, will be starting from April 12 at Siri Fort while the squash event has been postponed, said sources.

Kalmadi invites Delhi to take active part in CWG

Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman, Suresh Kalmadi has laid importance on hospitality during the Commonwealth Games as the the international sports event is a massive opportunity for India.

Speaking at a CII conference on 'Commonwealth Games – the Excitement and Opportunities', Kalmadi said that the whole city of Delhi should be get involved in the grand reception of the visitors during CWG.

India successfully holding the prestigious sports event will up the country's prospects of being considered as potential and competent host for Olympics.

During the first green Commonwealth Games, the country is also hoping to play host to and woo the heads of various enterprises, who will be looking at commercial and business opportunities.

Commonwealth Games is set to begin on Oct 3 and conclude on Oct 14.

In an encouraging development, Commonwealth Games Federation (CWF) chief Mike Fennell, who has been nothing but skeptical of India's capabilities to host the games, has also expressed confidence in the country's preparations.

Everything in Delhi CWG would be first class: Fennell

The pace of preparations for this year's Commonwealth Games had him worried till a few days ago but CGF chief Mike Fennell has had a change of heart now and says everything in the Delhi event would be "first class".

"India has spared no resources for the Games and everything will be first class," Fennell said at a reception organised by the Indian community in Montego Bay in honour of the Queens Baton Relay.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has been at loggerheads with the event's Organising Committee in India over the tardy pace of preparations and Fennell has been quite vocal about his displeasure in the past.

But the CGF chief said he is happy with the pace of work now and is looking forward to the October 3 to 14 event in the Indian capital.

"Things are in great shape. We had hoped all the venues would be ready ahead of time so we could test them, but they will be completed ahead of the start of the Games," he said.

The Commonwealth Games is the biggest multi-sport mega event to be organised in India since the 1982 Asian Games, incidentally also held in Delhi.

The build-up to the 12-day extravaganza has, however, been marred by construction delays and security concerns of the visiting athletes.

But Fennell said the Indian government was "taking every precaution, Games or no Games to ensure the safety of their citizens."

Games will make delhi a global player

As Delhi races to complete infrastructure projects ahead of the XIXth Commonwealth Games amid reports of escalating costs, many want to know whether such 'mega-events are jackpot or burden?' Are immediate gains such as sports facilities and a spanking new airport all that the Games mean for the city? Or will this Rs 10,000 crore bill lead to emergence of Delhi and India as a brand?

Questions like these and many more came up for discussion on the concluding day of 'Delhi 2010: The Games and the Commonwealth' summit, organised by The Times of India and the South Asia Research Foundation.

That legacy is a multi-faceted word was apparent at the discussion as panelists concurred that it extends way beyond mere infrastructure. Louise Martin, vice-chairperson of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, spoke about the legacy that Scotland was looking forward to gain from the 2014 Games.

"We would like the legacy not to be confined to physical infrastr ture." As a step in this directio community-based programme to search and identify new sporting talent and encourage the culture of sports have been designed. Added Martin, "We're planning to spend over 25 million Pounds on n only infrastructure but also c ing and community program Targetted medal success is a other facet."

It's not just a resurgent sporting culture that a city can expect from the Games. As Guru Malladi of Ernst & Young, another speaker, highlighted, a mega-event like the Commonwealth Games can be a fillip to development. "The legacy of the Asiad in 1982 was the colour TV and city infrastructure. So too, the legacy of Delhi Games 2010 is not just a better transport system and roads but also the emergence of the city on the world sports map," said Malladi. "It's how you leverage the event that matters - like Barcelona, which brought down its employment rate from a two-digit percentage to single digits," he added.

But is Delhi managing to make the leap from the drawing board to the world map? Not really, going by what some of the speakers at the summit had to say. Both Michael Linley of Brand Capital, Melbourne as well as Prof Hans

Westerbeek of Victoria University

About the global perception Delhi Games 2010. "While Melbourne may have had the advantages of being a city that's centred its economics on mega events, the fact is that Delhi still has some way to go. Locations as well as intangible legacies such as ecological impact - especially the carbon footprint of the Games - are factors that would determine if the Delhi Games have been successful," said Westerbeek.

So is Delhi ready for the Games? Martin certainly thinks so, adding, "There's been a huge difference between the status of preparation from October to now." And its legacy, according to Jean-Loop, professor from Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration, may well be the goodwill of those coming in from abroad as well as its own perception as a nation ready to host an international event.

Mrs. Dikshit and Kalmadi launch ticket sales for Delhi’s biggest badminton event since 1982

Chief Minister Mrs. Shiela Dikshit and Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi Chairman Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, MP, today launched the sale of tickets for the Yonex-Sunrise Badminton Asia Championship to be held at the state of the art DDA Siri Fort Badminton Stadium from 12 April 2010. It is the biggest badminton competition in the Capital since the 1982 Asian Games.

Mrs. Dikshit said she was confident the event would draw full houses, especially since India’s own Saina Nehwal is a big draw. “Last month, Delhi showed it loves top notch sporting events by supporting the FIH World Cup Hockey and the Commonwealth Boxing Championships. I am sure that the Badminton Asia Championships, featuring a lot of leading names, will also draw a terrific response,” she said. 

Mr. Kalmadi said he expected the Badminton Asia Championship to be a roaring success. “Badminton Association of India hosted the World Junior Championship in Pune and the World Championship in Hyderabad successfully. By bringing the Asian Championship as the test event for the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, BAI has ensured that the sport stays in the public eye,” he said.

BAI President Mr. V. K. Verma pointed out that the ticket prices were pegged really low. “Given the fact that the world class players will be competing for honours in the event, we have pegged the ticket prices really low,” he said. “The prices range from Rs 50 to Rs 200 for the first two days, Rs 100 to Rs. 350 for the third and fourth days, Rs 150 to Rs 500 for the quafterfinals and semifinals and from Rs 300 to Rs 1500 on the final day.”

Bookmyshow.com has been identified as official ticketing agency. Tickets can be booked online by logging on to www.bookmyshow.com from 4.00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30, 2010. The agency will setup a call centre (011-39895050) and will send SMS/e-mail alerts for updates on the Championship 2010.

Tickets will also be available for purchase at Café Coffee Day outlets near Siri Fort Sports Complex and across major areas in Delhi. CCD outlets at the following locations will have tickets for sale: Gargi College, Chanakyapuri, Greater Kailash I M-Block Market, Greater Kailash II M-Block Market, Lajpat Nagar, Ansal Plaza, South Extension II, Rajouri Garden, Connaught Place Inner Circle and Galleria Market (Gurgaon).

One game to another, a political play

The voice of the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games, the showpiece event of Indira Gandhi’s Congress, is not welcome for this year’s Commonwealth Games, the extravaganza set to symbolise the might of Sonia Gandhi’s Congress.

The Commonwealth Games organising committee today all but ruled out the demand for making Amitabh Bachchan the brand ambassador for the event to be held in Delhi from October 3 to 14.

“We are thinking of brand ambassadors from sports like Milkha Singh, P.T. Usha. We are thinking of young people,” committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi said when asked about the suggestion of BJP leader V.K. Malhotra that Bachchan be made the main brand ambassador of the event.

Malhotra is the vice-president of the Indian Olympic Association, headed by Kalmadi.

That the megastar is no longer considered worthy of being the ambassador of such a showpiece event of the Congress is in many ways symbolic of the final break in what was once an extremely close relationship between two of India’s most famous families.

Bachchan’s baritone reciting the hymns at the Asiad opening ceremony, watched by childhood buddy and future Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, heralded the event which was touted as Indira’s crowning glory following her triumphant return to power post-Emergency.

Bachchan, now facing barbs from the Congress over his association with Narendra Modi’s Gujarat, has maintained he has been apolitical save the brief period as Lok Sabha member between 1985-87 when the actor had teamed up with Rajiv to serve the Congress.

However, a closer look at the actor’s life shows how destiny has always brought together politics and political figures. It also explains why Congress leaders, including Sonia, are outraged over his association with Modi.

Almost all of these events and instances are well documented in books and memoirs, which have not been contested by the Bachchan family.

The Bachchans’ tale of friendship with the Nehru-Gandhis dates back to Anand Bhavan, Allahabad. Indira was still unmarried and Sarojini Naidu had introduced poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and his Sikh wife Teji — Amitabh’s parents — to Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter as “the poet and the poem”.

Amitabh was barely four when he was introduced to Rajiv, who was two then. There was a fancy dress party at the Bachchans’ Bank Road residence in Allahabad at which Rajiv was dressed up as a freedom fighter.

In an interview, Amitabh had recalled: “Ma (Teji) says he messed up his pants. We were all such tiny kids then, absorbed in our little games that it did not seem a big deal that Pandit Nehru’s grandson was in our midst.”

When Nehru moved to New Delhi’s Teen Murti Bhavan as India’s first Prime Minister, Rajiv and his brother Sanjay were often spotted playing with Bachchan siblings Amitabh and Ajitabh along with Adil Shaharyar, the son of Indira aide Mohammed Yunus, and Kabir Bedi.

While Rajiv and Sanjay were studying at Doon School, Amitabh and Ajitabh were at Nainital’s Sherwood. During the holidays in New Delhi, which fell around the same time, the boys met and swam every day at the pool of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Rajiv and Sanjay exposed Amitabh to avant garde cinema when European films were specially screened at Rashtrapati Bhavan for the Nehru-Gandhi family. Amitabh recalls attending with Rajiv and Sanjay the screening of films like Cranes are Flying and other Czech, Polish and Russian movies rich in anti-war message.

Indira’s close aide Yashpal Kapoor was extremely fond of Amitabh. Kapoor, more famous for toppling Opposition governments in states, is said to have tried getting Amitabh to Delhi’s prestigious St Stephen’s College. For some reason, Amitabh did not join, preferring to move to Kirorimal College (perhaps due to a better course option) but his younger brother Ajitabh studied economics at Stephen’s.

Amitabh’s first break in Bollywood was in K.A. Abbas’s Saat Hindustani, based on the liberation of Goa. Abbas was considered close to Indira, the then Prime Minister, and there were whispers that she had put in a word for the struggling actor. But Abbas stoutly denied having acted at Indira’s behest.

Harivansh Rai, later to become a Rajya Sabha member, was requisitioned in the foreign office by Nehru’s government while Teji was made director of the Film Finance Corporation in 1973. This was the time when Amitabh got married to Jaya. The guest list was extremely short but Sanjay was present, representing the Gandhis.

When Amitabh emerged as an actor, Rajiv would often visit him on the sets, extremely unobtrusive, waiting patiently till he completed a shot.

Amitabh recalled: “His nature was that he would never misuse his family name. More often than not, Rajiv would not disclose his surname, fearing the distance it would create between him and the common man.”

Then came the Emergency. Amitabh, who was frequently seen in Sanjay’s company, faced media wrath for supporting it. On April 11, 1976, Delhi hosted a function called “Geeton Bhari Sham,” ostensibly to raise money for Sanjay and Rukhsana Sultana (actress Amrita Singh’s mother)’s controversial family planning programme. Both Amitabh and Jaya were present in the company of Sanjay.

Around that time when Indira’s Emergency information and broadcasting minister Vidya Charan Shukla was clamping down on violence in Hindi films, came Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay.

Writers Salim-Javed and the rest were tense if the film would pass the censor board. Amitabh’s association came in handy as the otherwise intimidating Shukla cleared it with minor cuts, including a change in the climax.

Throughout the 19-month-long Emergency, Amitabh remained silent on the ban imposed on Kishore Kumar by All India Radio and Doordarshan and the ostracism of the likes of Pran and Dev Anand, both outspoken critics of the government.

Film journalism faced stiff censorship where even a gossip item about a young Amitabh and the sensational Zeenat Aman was not tolerated.

After Sanjay’s death, the entry of Rajiv saw Amitabh offering his signature voice at the 1982 Asian Games opening ceremony in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. Rajiv, the chief organiser, sat in the front row as Amitabh anchored the show.

Following the Bofors uproar, Amitabh, an MP from Allahabad, left politics, disillusioned. The superman was accused of being a middleman. Amitabh fought for his honour and won a protracted legal battle, but he could not sever his links with politics.

In August 1996, Amitabh’s Juhu residence saw two VVIPs, the then Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda breaking bread with the Shiv Sena’s Balasaheb Thackeray. The sight of an iconic Amitabh bowing before the self-proclaimed moral guardian did not go down well with many of his admirers.

A series of financial setbacks brought Amitabh close to Amar Singh and, through him, to the cash-rich Sahara group of Subroto Roy.

As Amar fell out with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam, Amitabh was seen in the company of Narendra Modi, who he described as “shahenshah”. Activist and dancer Mallika Sarabhai, who had unsuccessfully contested against Advani, alleged that Amitabh’s association with Gujarat is based on three specific reasons.

“I was told by a Gujarat government official that Mr. Bachchan wanted tax exemption in Gujarat, free land for his film city and a Rajya Sabha seat for his wife Jaya Bachchan, who may not be able to represent Uttar Pradesh with the change in the political equations there,” she said.

Amitabh has not commented on Sarabhai’s allegations but he had once told a scribe why he chose to quit politics.

He had recalled that once in Assam, a fan came running to him saying how much he loved the actor but hated his association with the Congress. “Please do not make me choose between the two personalities,” the fan is said to have pleaded with him.

Congressmen who know Sonia’s mind well wonder how Amitabh, who has championed the cause of the downtrodden in many of his films, now feels about the millions of his fans who are uncomfortable about Modi.

New Delhi to be first Indian city to forecast air quality

India’s capital, which will host the Commonwealth Games in October, isn’t just getting a fresh coat of paint, several overpasses, hotels and roads, and assorted sports infrastructure towards this.

It is also getting its own air quality forecasting system.

And so, New Delhi will become the first city in the country to be able to provide, 48 hours in advance, a pollution forecast, much like a weather forecast.

French firms Aria Technologies SA and Leosphere SA, which created a similar forecasting system for the Beijing Olympics (2008), are helping New Delhi create its pollution forecast. India doesn’t have an official pollution forecasting system.

“Our goal in Beijing was to put together a pollution index for the Games. Paris, which has a similar system, uses the information to control pollutants in the near future. This (the pollution forecasting system in New Delhi) is a first for South Asia,” said Sarath Guttikunda, deputy programme manager, Aria.

The two French firms are working with India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to create the system. Leosphere manufactures hardware and software for the laser-based monitoring systems and Aria Technologies develops and distributes air quality modelling systems.

The New Delhi project is sponsored by the French government. Officials at its embassy in New Delhi declined comment, saying they were not authorized to speak to the media.

“After the Games, CPCB will take it forward. We will be training the board so that they will be able to continue the forecasting,” added Guttikunda.

CPCB has the mandate for collecting and releasing data on air pollution. It does provide real-time data on the concentration of various pollutants in New Delhi. However, this is point-in-time data, not a forecast.

The new initiative will help it do better, said an official at CPCB. “The focus is on better understanding of pollution for national, regional and urban areas. This will be continued after the Games also. Delhi is just the pilot and we hope we can replicate it for other cities,” said Prashant Gargava, environmental engineer and in charge for computer division, CPCB. “Advance warning and information on ambient air quality can help citizens in planning outdoor activities. It can be used for planning air quality management systems, understanding sources of pollution and how to manage them.”

however, it wasn’t clear whether New Delhi would emulate Beijing’s aggressive environmental management.

In Beijing, where the forecasts were available five days in advance, officials “used it as a policy tool, through which they planned their short-term pollution control methods. They had a clear target, which was to meet air quality standards during games,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhary, associate director, Centre for Science and Environment, an environmental activist organization.

“They ordered three million cars off the roads and shut down industries to meet the standard,” she said, adding that New Delhi should have a similar plan.

Guttikunda, too, would like to see CPCB or other agencies use the data to good effect. “Our objective is to persuade the agencies to make an informed decision on pollution control rather than an ad hoc one.”

The forecasting system that is being put in place will use Lidar (light detection and ranging) technology. The process involves a laser beam which is released and captured, with the before-after difference being converted into concentrations of various pollutants.

The system will also factor in regional data because it is needed to make an accurate forecast, said Guttikunda. For instance, data from Rajasthan can help predict dust storms in New Delhi.

Guttikunda said the main aim of air quality forecasting should be public health. “For instance, Delhi is known as the asthma capital of the country. Air pollution, especially particulate, is linked to respiratory disorders and advisories could be based on such advance warning system for better public health.”

Several cities in other parts of the world do issue such health advisories.

New Delhi to be first Indian city to forecast air quality

Kalmadi no to Games ambassador role for actor

Amitabh Bachchan will not be made the brand ambassador for Commonwealth Games, Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi said on Tuesday.

“We are thinking of making sportspersons as Games ambassador. We will think about cultural ambassadors from Bollywood later,” Kalmadi said. “Also, we are thinking of younger brand ambassadors.”

Senior BJP leader and vice-president of the Indian Olympic Association V K Malhotra had written to Kalmadi suggesting Bachchan’s name as the brand ambassador for the event that will be held in Delhi from October 3 to 14.

Some Congress leaders had objected to Bachchan’s presence at a government function in Mumbai recently. Later, Bachchan had written in his blog that son Abhishek was sidelined during the Earth Hour event in Delhi, where he was the brand ambassador.

Reacting to Kalmadi’s rejection of his suggestion, Malhotra said the age issue was irrelevant as most of the key people involved with hosting of the Games were above the age of 55.

Malhotra had earlier said that Bachchan was the brand ambassador of 1982 Asian Games and should be made ambassador of the Commonwealth Games as well.

“Bachchan is an Indian and he is an icon. If we want to make the Games truly successful then we should try to mobilise and get support from every Indian and also recognise the services of the Indians who have brought laurels to the country and Bachchan is one of them,” he said.

“Not a single meeting of the OC has been held so far to discuss the appointment of brand ambassadors. But I will raise before the Executive Board of the OC,” he said.

Kalmadi said that a final decision on brand ambassadors will be taken in the executive board meeting, after consulting all members.

CWG security: Delhi Police chief, officers visit abroad

In its effort to ensure foolproof security during the Commonwealth Games, Delhi Police chief YS Dadwal and his officers recently toured London to have a closer look at latest gadgets and technologies which can be deployed during the mega sporting event here.

Sources in the department said while Dadwal and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Commonwealth Games) Prem Nath visited a number of security related exhibitions, joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi range) Dharmendra Kumar along with some senior Home Ministry officials attended a special orientation programme for diplomatic security.

They said the three-day-long tour in the United Kingdom has been successful and the police chief is understood to have decided to acquire some latest surveillance gadgets.

"The officers were officially invited to attend the programme. The purpose of the tour was to see the use of modern technologies being used in policing in other countries," a senior police officer said requesting anonymity.

Police will be better prepared to avert any sort of security related challenge during the games, the officer said.

During their stay in London, the officers also interacted with their counterparts and exchanged security and safety related concerns, they said.

The Commonwealth Games are due in the national capital between October 3-14 and central security agencies have expressed their concern about possibility from terror attacks during the sporting extravaganza.

The Delhi police will also deploy commandos of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) at all the sport venues and outside important installations in the national capital.

Big B won't be CWG Brand Ambassador: Kalmadi

Indian Olympic Association and Commonwealth Games chief Suresh Kalmadi on Tuesday said that the upcoming Delhi Games will not have actor Amitabh Bachchan as its face and the CWG committee was looking for a new brand ambassador.

“We need to keep young people, can’t follow the module of the Asiad Games (1982). We had thought of names like Milkha Singh and PT Usha but are currently looking at younger people (to represent CWG 2010).”

He also said that it was not his decision alone to appoint the brand ambassador and since it was everyone’s event, consensus would be taken before a final call.

Hinting at politically driven motives for the move, BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra told Zeenews that it was unfortunate and questioned Kalmadi’s authority for taking such a decision. He further accused the core working committee of the Commonwealth Games to be Congress dominated and hoped to get public support behind him on the issue.

However, this came after BJP suggested Amitabh Bachchan's name as brand ambassador of Commonwealth Games yesterday. Congress, on the other hand, said the party has a habit of "fishing in troubled waters".

A day after senior BJP leader and Indian Olympic Association's senior vice-president Vijay Kumar Malhotra suggested Bachchan's name as the main brand ambassador for the Commonwealth Games, Congress leader Ambika Soni said, "BJP has a habit of fishing in troubled waters. Without any background they have to interfere in each and every matter. I don't want to comment on this statement any further."

“On a daily basis, BJP raises some issue and we cannot spend time on reacting to each and every statement of theirs," she added.

The Commonwealth Games 2010 are to be held in New Delhi from October and the event has been marred with controversies from its early days.

Commonwealth Games tickets to be sold online by IRCTC

A railway subsidiary has bagged a contract to sell Commonwealth Games tickets online and sports lovers will get the option of choosing the row and seat at different venues.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has got the contract of Rs 12 crore to become the official ticketing agency for the Games, to be hosted by Delhi in October this year.

IRCTC, a subsidiary of Indian Railways, will develop a dedicated website for issuing tickets of the Games. "We are developing the website with the latest software for the sale of Commonwealth Games tickets, including for the inaugural and closing ceremonies," said a senior IRCTC official adding, "We will be also responsible for commissioning and maintenance of the portal."

According to the Organising Committee, there will be a total of 22 lakh tickets of different denominations to be sold for various events during the Games. One can choose his or her seat in a particular row and the sold-out seats will be also shown in the website, said the official.

The sale of tickets is estimated to generate about Rs 120 crore as revenue, said another senior Organising Committee official, adding the prices of tickets will be ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 1000.

However, the ticket rates for the inaugural and closing ceremonies at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium have not yet been decided as these are expected to be much higher. Besides the online process, tickets will also be sold through call centres, retail outlets and at the venues.

IRCTC, which does catering service in trains, is also currently engaged in issuing rail tickets online. Once the ticketing website is launched, one does not have to stand in a queue for a ticket during the Games as it will be available with just a push of the button.

Fashion Council lends support to Delhi 2010

India's apex fashion body, the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) has come out to support the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi.

Along with the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, FDCI unveiled a graffiti wall at the ongoing India Fashion Week here, with several designers writing their wishes for the Games on it.

“All the best,” wrote designers Parvesh-Jai. “Good luck,” wrote Niharika while Charu Parashar write “The Games rock.”

“The FDCI and Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi are vibrant bodies. So we decided why don't we come together and support this sports event for public awareness,” FDCI President Sunil Sethi told reporters here.

“FDCI is also planning to involve some of our top designers to design uniforms for the participants in the Games,” he said, sharing the stage with Commonwealth Games mascot Shera, Organising Committee Vice President Mr. Randhir Singh, hockey stars Sandeep Singh and former India hockey captain Zafar Iqbal.

Preparation for mega events like CWG time consuming: Kalmadi

Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Monday sought to defend delays in completion of venues, saying preparation for such a mega event is always time consuming and the country cannot present "half-cooked meals" to the world.

"We are organising a major sporting event in the country after a gap of 28 years, after Asian Games in 1982. It's a big challenge for us. You need to present a world class event when the whole world is watching. You need to showcase everything on a large scale. You cannot serve half-cooked meal," Kalmadi said.

"We are not lagging behind. All venues are ready barring JLN stadium and Yamuna Sports Complex. There work would be over by June 30. You need to understand when a city organises any international sports event, it takes five to 10 years to prepare itself. This is the same with Delhi," he said, speaking at a seminar titled "The Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth: Indian Sport poised for a take off" here.

He said Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell was happy with the progress of preparation when he last visited the country.

"About delays and extending deadlines I want to say that when CGF chief Mike Fennell paid his last visit to India he had said that Delhi Games will going to be best ever, even better than Melboune," said the IOA chief.

"We want to promote Olympics sports through Commonwealth Games and we are up for the challenge. Winning the gold medal in Commonwealth is much more important than winning a match in cricket," he said.

Kalmadi thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for releasing Rs 600 crores from his special fund on the training of the athletes, in paying foreign coaches and looking after their food and lodging.

"We are incurring an expenditure of 1600 crores and we have taken it as loan from the government. We will pay them by the way of sponsorship. The total cost of organising the Games is 10,000 crores. You see magnitude of Games is enormous," Kalmadi said.

Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy said rather than being a burden on the country, the Games would present India various opportunities in several fronts.

"The prestige of the country is associated with the successful organisation of the Games. We in the government are treating this event as a prestigious national project. This is an opportunity to showcase to the world that we are up for even bigger sporting challenges," Reddy said.

"It not in anyway could be counted as a burden on the country, but it's a bonanza of numerous opportunity. With the games we are ceasing the opportunity to put sports infrastructure in place," he said.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit supported Reddy and said that the huge money involved in the preparation of the October 3-14 event will not be a waste but will give a rich dividends in future.

"Everybody is critical of the amount of money involved in the preparation for the Games. But I want to make it clear that whatever we want to achieve as a nation will be done through this event," Dikshit said.

"It's not a big burden but a big jackpot for the whole country. Legacy of India as well as Delhi in particular are also attached to it.

"Whatever sum of money we are spending on the stadium upgradations, on building infrastructures for the visitors and athletes, all these will work in presenting Delhi as a major sporting destination," she added.

Secretary General of the Commonwealth Kamlesh Sharma said despite all the alarms, India and all the stakeholders involved would be proud of their enhanced stature after the completion of the Games.

"This event is for the welfare and development of other sports in the country," he said.

Queens Baton relay to showcase importance of CW games in UP

The Queens Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010, will showcase the importance and popularity of the Games in nine cities of Uttar Pradesh
during its two phase of the relay in the state.

The organising Committee of the Games have also urged the UP government to make arrangement for the publicity and popularity of the relay by seeking participation of eminent personalities and sportsperson.

The relay will enter UP from Bareilly on July 8 and after stopping at Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Allahabad and Varanasi it will enter Gaya in Bihar on July 13. In the second phase, it will enter Lalitpur in Bundelkhand on September 20 and after visiting Jhansi and Agra on September 21 it will end in New Delhi on September 30.

The Taj city of Agra would be the focal point for the foreign tourists coming to New Delhi for the Games as more than one lakh foreigners could reach there during the fortnight long Games from October 3 to 14.

Sheila promises first ever green CWG

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today expressed confidence about grand success of the Commonwealth Games 2010 and promised that these will be the ''first ever green Games'' in the world.

''Entire infrastructure is being developed on the concept of green building. The Commonwealth Games in Delhi will be first ever green Games in the world.''Ms Dikshit said.

''There has been a perfect coordination between different agencies involved in making preparations for the Games as their assignments were clearly defined and there was no overlapping at all,'' the Chief Minister maintained.

There will be no opportunity to pick the holes after the CWG, she added.

She was speaking during a panel discussion on ''Delhi 2010: The Games and the Commonwealth'' at India Habitat Centre, here.

The discussion was also joined by the Union Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy, Chairman of the CWG Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi, Indian Olympic Association Secretary-General Randhir Singh and others.

Highlighting that the hosting of 19th Commonwealth Games in Delhi has provided an excellent opportunity to simultaneously undertake a number of infrastructural projects, Ms Dikshit said, ''We are going to substantially achieve infrastructure development immediately after the Games, which otherwise would have taken a decade or so.'' ''We are on show as a country and we will do all we can to stage a world-class event,'' the CM exhorted.

Expressing hope that all infrastructures will be ready by June or early July, Ms Dikshit exhorted people to render their constructive cooperation in making the Games a memorable and historical event.

The nation pays for pampered Delhi

Suddenly, Delhi's residents have woken up to the cost of the Commonwealth Games.

The state government has raised taxes, or slashed subsidies, on everything from cooking gas to diesel, and from mobile phones to clothes, to raise Rs 850 crore (Rs 8.50 bilion), about Rs 2,000 per family over the year.

That has many people mightily upset, and anti-Games, all of a sudden. As it happens, the state had asked the Centre for Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion), or thereabouts, for investing in Games-related infrastructure, but got only half the sum from Pranab Mukherjee's Budget.

If the Centre had given nothing (and it could be argued that Bihar deserved the money more), then the increase in Delhi taxes would have been twice as much. As ever, the city is pampered, but does not recognise it.

So, what does it cost to host the Games? The initial figure was Rs 767 crore (Rs 7.67 billion), as mentioned when the city bid for the Games five or six years ago. That number more than doubled by last year, to Rs 1,620 crore (Rs 16.20 billion), and recent reports suggest that it has climbed again.

Against this, the state chief minister says the cost of hosting the Games is Rs 15,000 crore (Rs 150 billion) -- which includes the cost of the investment in the city's infrastructure, like the new low-floor buses, metro lines, flyovers, brighter streetlights, better street furniture, redone kerbsides, and so on -- all of which makes at least the showcase part of the Capital such a contrast to every other city in the country.

Why, the promise is that the city will even be power-surplus in six months!

Even at Rs 15,000 crore, the outlay seems modest when South Africa is spending $6 billion (Rs 27,000 crore 0r Rs 270 billion) to host this summer's World Cup football. The difference is that the World Cup involves more than one city, and lasts longer than a fortnight, while the Games involve many more participants.

Comparisons being difficult, the operative question (as with the Asian Games in 1982) is: Should one count the expenditure on the city's additional metro lines or buses (some of them air-conditioned) as part of the cost of the Games? After all, the outlay on Delhi's public transport next year will be Rs 4,224 crore (Rs 42.24 billion), which is certainly not normal.

The issue here is whether Delhi residents are picking up the tab, or the rest of the country. A city's residents are entitled to spend on themselves out of their own revenue.

But if the money is coming from the Centre as a gift, money that could have gone to more needy states, then questions can and should be asked. It is worth noting that Delhi got Rs 2,496 crore (Rs 24.96 billion) from the Centre for its current year's budget, three times the figure for the year before. So, it does seem that the rest of the country is paying in some way.

As it happens, prosperous Delhi has a total budget of Rs 26,000 crore (Rs 260 billion) -- substantially more than the beleaguered Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion).

The other difference is that an unusually high 43 per cent of the Delhi budget goes into Plan expenditure (new schools, new hospitals, a new ambulance fleet). Indeed, while West Bengal's total budget is three times bigger than Delhi's (for nearly five times the population), its Plan outlay is only 50 per cent bigger.

Seen in context, the additional Rs 850 crore that Delhi residents are being asked to pay is small beer.

Given the makeover that the Capital city is getting, and the financial support that the Centre is providing, Delhiites should keep quiet and count their blessings.

Commonwealth Games will be a turning point for India, says Sharma

Secretary General of the 53-nation Commonwealth, Kamalesh Sharma, on Monday said that the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in the national capital is already a big achievement, but would become after the Games are over besides being the turning point for India as a nation.

Talking to the top brass of the Organizing Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi at its headquarters, Sharma said: “I am glad I came here. Of course, one has a theoretical view that these things must be very complex, but it is only when you visit a place where things are being done that the magnitude of the task really hits you.”

“I wish you all strength and success. I am sure it will be a Games that India is going to be proud of and the Commonwealth, too,” he added.

Meanwhile, Organizing Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi Chairman Suresh Kalmadi and his team briefed Sharma on the progress made.

Kalmadi said it was an honour to have the Commonwealth Secretary-General in the headquarters of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee.

“I am glad you were present at the launch of the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi in Buckingham Palace and we count on your support,” Kalmadi told Sharma.

Govt ready to borrow, buy, rent ambulances

With the Commonwealth Games deadline fast approaching and the partnership with Fortis Hospital failing, sourcing ambulances has become a major concern for the Health department.

In desperation, the state department has decided to buy, borrow and rent.

In a recent meeting with the heads of over 30 private hospitals in Delhi, Health minister Kiran Walia discussed the options, one of which is using the services pro-bono.

“The private hospitals have been considerate and have offered us help in every possible way,” Walia said. “Many of them are offering us brand new ambulances for use during the Games. There is no reason to worry as the ambulances will be arranged well within time.”

The Delhi government will soon place urgent short notice tenders to procure 31 ambulances — of which 21 will be Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances and 10 Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances.

“We will have ALS and one BLS ambulance in each of our hospitals. Besides, we will rent ambulances and ensure there is no shortage,” she added. The tender process is likely to be over within two months.

The state government had earlier partnered with the Fortis Group to roll out 150 fully equipped ambulances in time for the Games. The first batch was to be delivered in January. The PPP, however, fell apart after the Health minister inspected the fleet and found that they had failed to meet government specifications.

The Health department will soon be approaching an arbitrator for a closure on the PPP with Fortis.

Of the 150 ambulances, 141 will be for basic life support and nine advanced life support. Besides, there will be 20 ‘first-responder’ (two-wheeler) vehicles — the objective of which will be to reach the victim within 15-20 minutes of receiving the call for help.

Since 1991, pre-hospital medical emergency transportation and ambulance services have been provided through the Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS). Currently, there are 35 CATS ambulances spread across 21 base stations in the city.

On an average, five to six of these remain off roads due to maintenance problems each month.

CWG village to get India's first green helipad

With Commonwealth Games just six months away, air traffic in the city is going for a face change with the construction of the country's first 'green helipad' at the Commonwealth Games village site in East Delhi.

The green helipad will be a non concrete structure and can be easily removed and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has sanctioned Rs.1.92 crore for the project at the Commonwealth Games village site. DDA has also allotted 10,000 square meters of land for the land. Delhi Police is also likely to hire helicopters from the Indian Air Force for surveillance purposes during the Games will have landing access to the helipad.

The government is also planning to come up with a helipad at the AIIMS and heliport in Rohini. For all these infrastructure the government is not only in talks with state-run helicopter firm Pawan Hans but is also looking for land from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to build 10-12 helipads.

Pawan Hans officials apparently visited the AIIMS Trauma Centre in South Delhi to check out whether there is ample room for a helipad and if the building can sustain the load of a helicopter. The officials were satisfied and asked the hospital authorities to make some minor constructional changes so that the helipad can be built in six month's time.

The heliport coming-up at Rohini will have helipads, parking bays and night landing facilities. Besides the basic services, it will also have a training academy.

New Delhi station to sport dazzling white look

Gearing up for the Commonwealth Games, the busy New Delhi Railway Station will sport a swanky new look, the work for which has already started.

The entire renovation work will be carried out as per a new design being finalised by the Railways Delhi Division to give an eye-catching look to the station.

"The facade of the station at Paharganj side will sport a complete new look. The colour of the 50-feet high building will be changed from existing light brown to pure white. Besides, the portico will have a new design," Ashwani Lohani, Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi Division, told PTI.

As per the blueprint, black granite will be laid upto ten feet from the ground while rest of the building will be fitted with white aluminium composite panels to give a "dazzling white look", he said.

Similarly, black granite will be used for the name plate in front of the station while the letters in it will be in stainless steel with adequate lighting system on top of the building, Lohani said.

Besides, the entire flooring will also be changed to match the facade.

"We are going for vacuum dewatered concrete flooring and the portico area will have bitumastic coloured pavers," the official said.

The New Delhi station, which receives about 700 trains a day, is currently undergoing renovation work as part of the beautification drive before the Commonwealth Games.

"The new look station will be ready much before the Games. In fact, we are trying to finish the work by June-July," the official said.

Besides the new look, steps are also being undertaken to improve the circulation area.

"The circulation area has been redesigned to ensure smooth movement of vehicles by creating more parking space," he said.

Waiting seats, water coolers and even dustbins will sport a new whitish look as per the new design. Authorities are also focusing on cleanliness at the station premises, Lohani said.

Only 2,224 new hotel rooms to be ready for Commonwealth Games in capital

Despite an all-out effort by the government to facilitate construction of adequate number of hotel rooms in the city for the Commonwealth games, only 2,224 rooms will be available for the event.

Only 13 hotels out of the 39 proposed ones in the city would be ready before the Games, according to the data prepared at the latest review meeting of room position by the tourism ministry.

Though many hotels are coming up in Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Noida, the capital city will have to content with just 2,224 rooms from the 13 new hotels before the sporting extravaganza.

There is a requirement of 30,000 rooms during the Games beginning October 3.

As per the review, construction of 3,169 rooms at about 20 sites in the capital is going on. But these hotels are unlikely to be completed before the event.

However, ruling out room shortage during the Games, a senior ministry official said, "There would be a total of 10,973 rooms ready in the capital and in the neighbouring areas before the Games.

"Besides, 2,709 DDA flats (5500 rooms) are also being readied at Vasant Vihar for the Games visitors. About 2,000 rooms under the Bed and Breakfast scheme and about 11,000 guest house rooms in the city would be made available."

To encourage construction of new hotels for the Games, government has extended the Five-Year Tax Holiday available to 2, 3 and 4-star category hotels and convention centers in National Capital Territory Region of Delhi and the districts of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad from March 31 to July 31 this year under Section 80-ID of Income Tax Act.

Union tourism minister Kumari Selja in a pre-budget exercise had requested the union finance minister for extension of time limit for the tax holiday to Games hotel projects in Delhi & NCR.

This incentive was earlier available from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2010.

"The incentive has been extended to encourage the completion of the Games hotel projects which had slowed down due to global economic recession," said the official.

Just 186 days are left for the Commonwealth games to begin.

Amitabh must be made CWG main brand ambassador: Vijay Kumar Malhotra

Indian Olympic Association senior vice-president Vijay Kumar Malhotra has suggested Amitabh Bachchan's name as the main brand ambassador for the Commonwealth Games to be held in the national capital later this year.

In a letter to IOA president and Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, Malhotra, who is also an Executive Board member of the CWG, said given his credentials and star status, the film icon is the best fit for the post.

"Commonwealth Games is going to be an important milestone in the history of contemporary India. It will not only showcase our sporting talent but also social and cultural heritage.

"In this regard the appointment of Brand Ambassador for Commonwealth Games 2010 is going to be very crucial becauee they will be looked upon as the best and brightest of the country. These Brand Ambassadors, as they will be representing the country, should be proud of being given the job and they should do it in the national interest and not for money," Malhotra wrote in his letter to Kalmadi.

"I suggest Shri Amitabh Bachchan should be appointed as the main Brand Ambassador of Commonwealth Games. Shri Bachchan represents best of India's mid-age generation and is an icon for the youngsters. He was the Brand Ambassador of 1982 Delhi Asiad and I strongly feel Shri Bachchan should be given this honour again," he said.

"The OC has already named some Brand Ambassadors and and some more are going to be appointed very soon. I suggest we should appoint only those cine stars, sportsperson and other celebrities who have clean record and are prepared to do this job without asking for any honourarium," he added.

Commonwealth Secretary General visits India

Secretary General of the 53-nation Commonwealth Kamalesh Sharma comes here Saturday night on a week-long visit that will focus on the ongoing preparations for the 2010 Games in the Indian capital Oct 3-14.

Sharma will Monday attend a seminar on the future of Commonwealth Games and participate in a Commonwealth Writers' Conference here.

He will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and hold discussions with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal and Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.

Ahead of his visit, Sharma struck an upbeat note, saying the 2010 Games will be "a big success".

"I have confidence that the infrastructure will be ready in time and the Games will be a big success. It is for the Organising Committee to attend matters connected with the preparations of the Games," Sharma had said.

He will also take up Indian authorities allegations about 43 workers dying on sites being built for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

A five-member panel set up by Delhi High Court had made critical observations about workers' conditions at Games sites.

‘Green helipads’ for CW Games

The face of air traffic in the National Capital Region could change drastically in the coming months with a number of projects to be completed in time for the Commonwealth Games.

Among the proposals that are being fast-tracked include a 'green helipad' — the country's first, to be built at the Commonwealth Games village site, and finances for which have already been cleared — at AIIMS and a heliport in Rohini.

Besides, state-run helicopter firm Pawan Hans is in talks with governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for land to build 10-12 helipads.

“Our team of experts visited AIIMS recently to see if the trauma centre building could sustain the load. We have cleared the proposal and suggested some small changes like doing away with the boundary wall on the roof. If fast-tracked, the helipad could be operational within six months,” Pawan Hans chief R.K. Tyagi told HT.

“The country’s first green helipad, which will have no concrete structure and can be removed without any trace, is coming-up at the Commonwealth Games village site. The DDA has sanctioned Rs 1.92 crore for the project and has allotted 10,000 square meters of land,” he said.

This helipad is going to witness the maximum activity during the Games when VIPs, Games officials would travel to the venue. Delhi Police, which is likely to hire helicopters from the Indian Air Force for surveillance purposes, would also have access to the helipad.

Officials did not rule out the possibility of ferry services being operated, if the government gave its approval, for those who would be willing to pay. Officials expressed hope that they would get land to build helipads in each of the nine districts.

The heliport coming-up at Rohini would including helipads, parking bays, night landing facilities, maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities as well as a training academy.

Pawan Hans, which operates a fleet of 35 helicopters and another eight belonging to other agencies, has ordered another 12 helicopters and has plans to expand its fleet by 100 choppers in next few years, officials said.

CWG silver medallist among three lifters banned for life

Three weightlifters, including Melbourne Commonwealth Games silver medallist Vicky Batta, were slapped with a life ban on Saturday after the Indian federation decided to act tough on drug cheats.

The other lifters who have been handed out the punishment are G Damodaran and Rajesh Kumar Singh of Services as they failed a dope test by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) during the 2009 season — their second such offence.

Damodaran (105kg) and Singh (94kg) first returned positive samples in 2006 during the inter-Services competition in 2006. Batta, meanwhile, was among the nine culprits who had failed a dope test during the Guwahati National games in 2007.

The federation, which has itself been fined by the world body for failing to control the instances of doping, has also imposed a penalty of $5,000 each on the three lifters. Batta, a Punjab Police lifter, will have to shell out an additional $500 for a B sample.

“The federation is very serious on taking strong action on drug offenders. We want to clean up the dope menace. The severe punishment given to the three lifters should set an example for young lifters in the country,” said IWF secretary general Sehdev Yadav.

“It’s the only way to cleanse the system,” he added.

Incidentally, Batta and Singh were handed a four-year ban by the International Weightlifting Federation — till September 2013 — after failing the out of competition WADA tests in September 2009. It led to the IWF executive council resigning and the world body imposing a hefty $500,000 fine on the Indian federation. Shailaja Pujari was handed a life ban by the world body, while the other five were banned for four years. Besides Batta, Pujari and Singh, the other three lifters were Harbhajan Singh, Sunita Rani and Arambam Bijaya Devi.

Recently, 70 lifters did not turn up for competition after sending entries for the senior national championships in Udaipur in January due to fear of being caught for doping as the IWF had conducted large-scale dope testing.

Pawan Hans eyes bigger role for copters

From being a favourite mode of transport for VVIPs and political leaders, more so during election campaigns, helicopters are now vying for attention to become the lifeline of the country by providing services to the common man during times of natural disasters, medical emergencies and maintaining vital infrastructure projects.

Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL) — a state-run helicopter organisation which has a nation-wide presence and undertakes pilgrimage trips — is set to carve out a bigger role for itself in the near future.

With heliports coming up in Delhi and Mumbai and helicopter corridors being earmarked by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the PHHL is poised to provide helicopter services during the Commonwealth Games to be held here in October.

The PHHL has also decided not to raise its fares for pilgrimage trips to the Vaishno Devi and Kedarnath shrines despite the recent imposition of additional duties on fuel, PHHL chairman-cum-managing director R.K. Tyagi told journalists here.

A round-trip fare to Vaishno Devi costs about Rs.2,450, while the Kedarnath trip fare has been kept at Rs.7,000.

On the arrangements for the Commonwealth Games, Mr. Tyagi said that while one heliport was coming up at Rohini, another would come up near the Games Village near Akshardham in East Delhi.

“The Delhi Development Authority is giving us Rs.1.92 crore for the construction of the second helipad near the Games Village,” he added.

Mr. Tyagi said the company was also holding discussions with the governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to acquire land for creating helipads at 10-12 places in the Delhi region.

The Rohini heliport in West Delhi would cover helicopter operations, maintenance, repairs and overhaul facilities as well as a training academy for pilots and technical personnel.

Primary Hub Centre

The one near the Games Village would be used as a Primary Hub Centre from where helicopters would operate during the day and position back in the evenings, and also facilitate the transportation of VIPs, officials and players to the 15 game sites in Delhi.

In view of the growth potential for its business in new areas such as law and order, medical services and tourism, the PHHL has ordered 10 helicopters and has plans to expand its fleet by 100 choppers in the next few years, officials said.

Commonwealth chief in India, Games tops agenda

Secretary General of the 53-nation Commonwealth Kamalesh Sharma comes here Saturday night on a week-long visit that will focus on the ongoing preparations for the 2010 Games in the Indian capital Oct 3-14.

Sharma will Monday attend a seminar on the future of Commonwealth Games and participate in a Commonwealth Writers' Conference here.

He will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and hold discussions with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal and Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.

Ahead of his visit, Sharma struck an upbeat note, saying the 2010 Games will be "a big success".

"I have confidence that the infrastructure will be ready in time and the Games will be a big success. It is for the Organising Committee to attend matters connected with the preparations of the Games," Sharma had said.

He will also take up Indian authorities allegations about 43 workers dying on sites being built for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

A five-member panel set up by Delhi High Court had made critical observations about workers' conditions at Games sites.

Commonwealth Games: Drug agency keeping close tabs on Delhi race

It was one step for the World Anti-Doping Agency to accredit the Delhi laboratory for service in September 2008 but readying it for October's Commonwealth Games is more ambitious.

Complicating the issue for WADA is that responsibility is now essentially out of its hands, although it is keeping a close eye on things as India trains doping control officers (DCOs).

The lab has worked successfully through several curtain-raisers, including the Commonwealth Shooting Championship, the Hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Boxing Championships.

New Zealander David Howman, WADA's director-general, is off to Delhi in May to further monitor the situation. WADA's interest will extend past October.

"I have no problem with the lab. It has been meeting regular testing programmes from the samples sent back to us. If there was a slip in scientific standards, we'd be on to it like a robber's dog.

"The issue is for the lab to retain its accreditation beyond the Games as one of only 35 labs in the world capable of doing [WADA quality] testing.

They have to analyse 3000 samples a year to do that. One starting point is cricket's Indian Premier League."

Howman says WADA still feels obliged to guide India in running a full-time programme.

"The Commonwealth Games Federation [CGF] is training its own DCOs but the ideal is that they use Indians. Those people then need to be kept on after the Games."

Drug Free Sport New Zealand boss Graeme Steel can see value in providing overseas expertise, given the number of qualified DCOs in the Commonwealth.

"India has been slow setting up domestic programmes and has had problems with drugs, especially in power events. I shouldn't be too critical from a distance but, at a major Games, it's vital experienced and well-trained officials are on the job, much like bringing in top-match officials or referees."

WADA is extra conscious of policing a new test for human growth hormone (HGH) which should be operational later in the year.

Cheating athletes tend to use HGH during intense out-of-competition periods and the current testing model can only pick up synthetic HGH within 48 hours of it being taken.

When synthetic HGH is ingested, the body shuts down normal production of HGH so artificial material can be detected briefly.

Second phase of Delhi Metro before CWG: Sreedharan

The second phase of work for Delhi Metro would be completed before Commonwealth Games in October, which could be a world record, E Sreedharan, Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said.

"In fact, we are running much ahead of the deadline. It would be a world record when the second phase of work is finished before Commonwealth Games," he said after being conferred the Sir Jehangir Ghandy medal for industrial and social peace at XLRI during his career of 36 years in Indian Railways.

Referring to the first phase of work in Delhi metro, he said, "The project was completed well before time and within the allocated funds. The second phase of work is also within budgetary limits."

He said the Kolkata Metro, which had taken 22 years to complete with the expenditure going up by 14 times, the first phase of Delhi Metro covering 65 km was completed not only before schedule but within the budgetary allocations.

Around ten lakh more people would travel by Delhi Metro after the second phase of work is finished, he said, adding around 1.65 lakh vehicles will be off the roads.

The proposal to lay 20 km of high-speed line was part of the metro network, which would connect New Delhi with the international airport in 18 minutes, he said.

FDCI lends support to Commonwealth Games 2010

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), India’s apex fashion body, Saturday came out to support the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in the capital this year.

The FDCI, along with the Games’ Organising Committee, unveiled a graffiti wall at the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) here, with several designers writing their wishes for the Games on it.

“All the best”, “Good luck”, “The Games rock” were messages that designers Parvesh-Jai, Niharika and Charu Parashar respectively wrote on the wall.

“The FDCI and Commonwealth Games Organising Committee are two vibrant bodies. So we decided why don’t we merge together and support this sports event for public awareness,” FDCI president Sunil Sethi told reporters here.

“We (FDCI) are also planning to involve some of our top designers to deisgn uniforms for the players participating in the Games,” said Sethi, who shared the stage with Commonwealth Games mascot Shera, Organising Committee vice president Raja Randhir Singh, hockey player Sandeep Singh and former hockey captain Zafar Iqbal.

The Commonwealth Games are to be held here in Oct 3-14.

Veronica Campbell Brown considers pulling out of Commonwealth Games in India

World indoor 60 metres champion Veronica Campbell Brown is the latest marquee athlete reportedly hesitating over whether to compete at the Commonwealth Games in India later this year.

According to a report in the Jamaica Observer, the sprinter's agent Claude Bryan said she was leaning against competing in Delhi in October, although the decision wasn't final.

"Well currently, I don't think it will be a go," Bryan said. "We haven't sat down and made a final decision, but given the time of the year that it is, I just can't see it happening with the World Championships coming up next year."

Campbell Brown, a two-time Olympic 200m champion who was also 100m world champion in 2007, won the silver medal in the 200m and gold in the 4x100m relay at the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne.

Campbell Brown ran a personal best 7.00sec to win the world indoor title in Doha earlier this month.

A number of Jamaican athletes, including triple world record-holder Usain Bolt and former men's 100m world record-holder Asafa Powell, have indicated they may not make the trip to India in October.

Delhi Government slammed for taxing people in the name of Commonwealth Games

Two separate protests were staged in the national capital on Friday against the Delhi Government's decision to hike Value Added Taxes(VAT) for almost all commodities in the State budget proposals.

In one of the protests, members of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) took out a mock funeral procession of VAT and burned its effigy.


"When the budget proposal for the Commonwealth Games was passed, the budget was Rs 7,000 crores. About Rs. 10,000 crore has already been spent. Rs. 3,000 crore was given by the Union Government for the Games," said Praveen Khandelwal, CAIT General Secretary.

"The State Government in its budget said that they are hiking the process to meet the expenses for the Commonwealth Games. We want to ask that are the Commonwealth Games more important for Delhi or the life of a common man? The Games are for the entire country, so why should people of Delhi bear all the burden?" he added.

The traders have decided to shut shops on Saturday till 1p.m. as a mark of protest and pledged to intensify their protests if the government does not role back its taxes.

In another protest, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took out a signature campaign against the Delhi Government.

Senior BJP leaders Vijay Goel and V. K. Malhotra participated in the campaign programme that took signatures of the common man in a petition to be handed over to the president.

"Millions of rupees have been spent in the name of Commonwealth Games. They are hiking the prices of gas, diesel. They are demolishing already completed tracks and roads, changing the lectricity poles. About Rs. 200 crores are being spent for the opening and closing ceremonies. This team of Sheila Dixit, Suresh Kalmadi and the Union Government are extorting people in the name of Commonwealth Games," said Vijay Goel.

Commonwealth Games panel seeks Rs 2,307-cr loan waiver

The organising committee of the Commonwealth Games has asked the government to write off its Rs 2,307-crore debt, saying its earnings from sponsorships and television rights may not be enough to pay back the amount.

The Union government extended loans to the committee for developing competition and training venues for the Games to be held in New Delhi in October this year. The amount includes the Rs 687 crore the Cabinet sanctioned last week. The organising committee has requested that at least some part of the loans should be turned into a grant as the funds are being used for preparatory activities, a finance ministry official said.

“We understand that the committee has already started earning some revenue. So we feel that it should start paying off the loans now as it could be difficult to pay the entire amount after the Games are over,” he said, requesting anonymity. The government may look into the case of fresh loans later on, he added.

Sports and youth affairs minister MS Gill has thrown his weight behind the committee on the issue. He has written to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee asking for at least a partial waiver.

The finance ministry is not in favour of the proposal and is keen that the committee starts paying off the loan. The ministry has tightened the government spending in an effort to bring down fiscal deficit to 5.5% of the gross domestic product. Finance ministry officials said the latest tranche of Rs 687 crore might be waived off, depending on the actual revenue earned by the organising committee that is expected to earn Rs 1,780 crore from the Games. It has already earned about Rs 700 crore from sponsorships and television rights.

Students to add colour to Queen’s Baton Relay

With the city rolling out red carpet for the Commonwealth Games, the Delhi government has roped in schoolchildren to add that extra zing to the opening ceremony.

Students from various schools across the city will participate in the cultural presentation during the opening ceremony of the Games — the Queen’s Baton Relay — on October 3 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Students from 70 government schools, six government-aided schools and 16 private schools have already been auditioned between February 8 and February 20.

Nearly 50 students of Classes VII, VIII and X were selected from each of these school and they are now undergoing training for the ceremony, officials said.

The children were selected by special choreographers appointed by the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.

“We decided to select children from the age group of 14-16 years,” an Education department official said.

Lalit Bhanot, General Secretary of the organising committee, said, “We had our team of special choreographers to take auditions.”

Some of the private schools where auditions took place are Delhi Public School-R K Puram; DPS-Mathura Road; St Mark’s Girls Senior Secondary School- Meera Bagh; Ryan International School-Rohini and New State Academy Senior Secondary School in Pitampura.

“We went for students who were tall and physically, mentally and medically fit to participate in the event,” the Education department official added.

After training, rehearsals will begin in April and continue till October. “For first three months, the rehearsals will take place near their respective schools and later combined rehearsals will be held at a place identified by the organising committee, most likely at Army Polo ground near Dhaula Kuan, from July to September,” the official said.

The rehearsals will finally be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the last week of September

Holmes says alarm over Commonwealth Games security is premature

Dame Kelly Holmes has said that England will pull out of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October if security advisers suggest that the team have been targeted.

However, the double Olympic champion, who is the president of Commonwealth Games England, said she was convinced that would not be the case. Instead, Holmes said it was premature for any athlete to be pulling out of the event that could form invaluable preparation for the 2012 Olympics in London.

And, just as she feels that the security issue for this summer’s football World Cup finals in South Africa has been overblown, so she questioned the motives of anyone pulling out of Delhi seven months in advance.

“Security is always a factor,” she said. “But we have security forces out there and if they suggested to us that our athletes were at risk then it is an absolute no-brainer — we won’t go. But they haven’t done anything of the sort. Not one thing has been suggested.

“Our teams have been going out every month and we have been taking the national governing bodies out there. It’s a long way off and it is absolutely pointless people making assumptions now. We will leave it to the last minute.”

The issue has been brewing since an unnamed senior Whitehall source was quoted as saying that there was “virtually no chance” of England sending a team to Delhi. Then last month the Pakistani branch of al-Qaeda threatened that there would be “consequences” if the international community supported the Commonwealth Games, cricket’s Indian Premier League and the men’s hockey World Cup. The hockey passed off in the Indian capital without incident this month and England, who lost in the semi- finals, are preparing to improve on that showing at the Commonwealth Games.

Holmes, who won her first significant gold medal at the 1994 Games in Victoria, Canada, said: “The key thing to ask is whether it is important to our sportspeople and, as someone who has been there, I can say it absolutely is. The Commonwealths taught me about multisport competition before going to an Olympics and that is so important. You go to an Olympics and it is overwhelming. You can’t imagine it unless you have had some sort of experience.

“The Commonwealths also allow young people to get among the medals and taste that. Most of our well-known stars went there.”

Flying out of Delhi may become more expensive

It is the result of a 42% increase in the cost of modernizing the airport before the Commonwealth Games in October

Passengers will have to pay steeper fees when flying from the Capital’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) after June—the result of a 42% increase in the cost of modernizing the airport before the Commonwealth Games in October.

The board of Delhi International Airport (Pvt.) Ltd (DIAL) on Thursday set the final cost of the project at Rs12,700 crore, up from the Rs8,975 crore estimated earlier, according to a company official who asked not to be named. The revision was adopted at a board meeting.

The increase clears the way for raising existing charges and possibly levying new ones on passengers using IGIA. It would also mean higher charges such as landing, parking and navigation fees for airlines.

IGIA, being modernized by a consortium led by GMR Infrastructure Ltd, will be the biggest and most expensive airport in India when the under-construction Terminal T3 is commissioned in June, offering passengers a world-class, integrated domestic-and-international facility with the latest in equipment.

For passengers and airlines, it will come at a price because the developer would have to pass on the increased project cost to end users.

Passengers are already being charged to help the developer recover Rs1,827 crore, or 20% of the earlier project estimate of Rs8,975 crore. They are paying Rs200 for taking domestic flights out of IGIA and Rs1,300 for flying abroad until 1 March 2012, as an airport development fee.

“We have to audit the cost given by them (DIAL), which will take six-eight weeks after which a final tariff would be arrived at,” Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (Aera) chairman Yashwant S. Bhave had said earlier this week.

Aera is the new airport regulator and approval of the new fees at IGIA is likely to be its first big decision, posing a potential test of its ability to protect consumer interests.

DIAL is expected to submit the final cost estimate to Aera for clearance by the end of this month or early next month after which the regulator will appoint an external auditor to vet costs and then decide on the new airport charges.

The new charges could either be an extension of the duration of the existing airport development fee, an increase in the amount charged, or an additional passenger charge such as a user development fee, or a combination of such measures, said the DIAL official quoted above.

The method of arriving at these charges is likely to be finalized by next month, Bhave had said.

India’s airlines are laden with losses and debt, and there are concerns about the impact of increased tariffs on air traffic growth, which has started to pick up after a two-year downturn.

“Rules should be made for the customer and not just the rich customer,” said G.R. Gopinath, who pioneered low-cost aviation in India with the erstwhile Air Deccan and recently launched the cargo carrier Deccan 360. “The fundamental problem is there must be competition in all sectors. Competition will bring down cost for the consumer, which I think is not there in some airports.”

Gopinath said the regulator should strike a balance between the interests of consumers and the airport operator when setting tariffs.

“Airport cannot be allowed to lose, but they cannot exploit (consumers),” he said. Airports are built on public land given at concessional rates by the government, and “this concession has to be shared with the public”.

In October 2006, the cost estimated for the first phase of IGIA modernization by DIAL was Rs5,900 crore. The cost estimated for the Mumbai airport modernization has risen from Rs5,826 crore to Rs9,802 crore.

“A regulator is always supposed to regulate competition and not monopoly,” Gopinath said, recommending the government be more flexible in allowing competing airports to come up.

Return on investment alone does not justify what an airport operator can be allowed to charge passengers, he added.

NDMC organises training on 'Anti-tobacco and No smoking'

Nodal officers and officials of different departments of NDMC are receiving training in ensuring effective enforcement of 'no smoking' zones in the NDMC area, in view of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.

The training programme is being organised by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) in association with the Health department of Delhi Government as part of the massive anti-smoking drive of the NDMC.

Fines will be imposed on those found smoking in the NDMC areas in order to enforce the Cigarette and other Tobacco products Act-2003 and Delhi Prohibition of smoking and non-smokers Health Protection Act-1996 with related regulations, an NDMC spokesperson said today.

The NDMC headquarters and other public places within its jurisdiction have been notified as smoke-free zone.

Illegal roadside vendors selling tobacco products without any 'tehbazari' rights in NDMC area, would be removed shortly.

During the drive, the health department of NDMC would also hold workshops for stakeholders in its area like government and non-Government organisations (NGOs), institutions, restaurant and hotel association, market traders association, residence welfare association, school and college representative and they would be trained to enforce anti-tobacco and anti-smoking laws in their premises.

Caitlin’s studied approach to Delhi bid

Caitlin McClatchey admits next week’s British Swimming Championships in Sheffield is not her sole priority right now.

Despite the carrot of earning a spot at October’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi – McClatchey is also juggling a 12,000-word dissertation for her Politics and Social Psychology degree at Loughborough University.

At the 2006 Common-wealth Games in Melbourne – McClatchey earned double gold in the 200m and 400m, but the Scot revealed studying had been affecting her preparations.

“I have got a lot on because I am doing my university dissertation as well as trying to fit in all my training,” said McClatchey.

“I am trying to do as many sessions as I can ahead of the Champion-ships but my training has suffered. I am still doing a lot of hard work, but my coach is maybe letting me off one session a week.

“I am confident I can still go there and swim well despite all the work I have been doing because I have been doing some good sessions so, hopefully, I can go to Sheffield and perform.”

Despite being selected for February’s GB v Germany Swim Meet in Swansea – McClatchey, who carried the British flag at the event, was forced to withdraw with a bout of sinusitis.

In the aftermath of landing double Melbourne gold – McClatchey, who will swim in the 100m, 200m and 400m at Ponds Forge, has watched on in frustration as the likes of Jo Jackson and Rebecca Adlington have hogged the headlines.

But McClatchey, who can also qualify for Delhi at the Scottish National Championships later this year, is keen to put down a marker against Britain’s best.

India's Commonwealth Games plagued by delay, anger

A countdown clock outside the Commonwealth Games offices in New Delhi shows 192 days left until the Indian capital hosts the 17-sport event. But the city still looks like a messy construction site.

The main stadium is months overdue and remains a tangle of cranes, and residents are furious over new taxes to pay for the Games.

Meanwhile, dozens of construction workers have died and hundreds of thousands are laboring in unsafe conditions in the rush to prepare the city for the Games, a court-appointed investigation said.

India hoped that by hosting athletes from the 71 countries of the Commonwealth, the former British Empire, it would boost its global image and become a contender for the Olympics. Now, with the Oct. 3 start date approaching, many are wondering whether it's worth it.

"For poor people there are no benefits from all this," said Ramesh Dubey, a sidewalk vendor angry over a proposed hike in cooking gas taxes. "This whole show is by rich people and will only benefit rich people."

Suresh Kalmadi, head of India's organizing committee, has promised that problems will be resolved.

"With the support of the governments of India and Delhi, we are doing everything to produce a great Games," he told visiting Commonwealth delegates this month.

Numerous hurdles remain.

The main Jawaharlal Nehru stadium - which is to host the opening and closing ceremonies and the main track events - is a giant shell. Dozens of laborers ferry cement and bricks in baskets on their heads. Cranes dot the sprawling complex, and the road around it is a dug-up mound of dirt.

There are similar scenes at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee swimming complex.

Both complexes were supposed to have been finished by December.

"Certainly it's cutting it very, very fine with Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and the swimming stadium," said Mike Hooper, the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, who is in New Delhi helping oversee the preparations.


The stadiums are now scheduled to be finished in June.

"If they don't adhere to these new revised, revised deadlines then we do have real concerns about the operational delivery and the pressure it will put on the organizing committee," Hooper told The Associated Press.

Many New Delhi roads are lined with mounds of rubble, often forcing several lanes of traffic into a single, chaotic one. New construction projects crop up every few weeks.

An attempt to clean up Connaught Place, a collection of colonial-era buildings at the heart of the city's business district, has choked shops in the area.

A once-busy book store managed by Puneet Sharma is now mostly deserted, surrounded by scaffolding and rubble that has blocked access.

"They have known about the Games since 2003 and yet we were given no notice about when work would start in our area," Sharma said. "It's all very unplanned and haphazard."

Indian organizers insist the construction and roadwork will be wrapped up by the end of June.

"There have been some delays," accepts Rahul Bhatnagar, a senior official from India's Sports Ministry, who is overseeing the preparations, "but the venues will all be done well in time for the test events and the main Games."

The cash-strapped government is pumping in more money to the nearly $3 billion event. Last week, the national government announced it was lending the organizers an additional $150 million to pay for fixtures and equipment required at the venues.

On Monday, the city government said it would increase taxes on everything from cell phones to tea, mostly to offset the cost of the Games.

As the government scrambled to meet the new deadlines, allegations have cropped of negligence and abuse at the building sites.

A panel appointed by the New Delhi High Court said last week that at least 43 workers were killed because of dangerous work sites and a lack of proper safety gear.

The report said nearly 415,000 contract workers at construction sites related to the event were not paid adequately by private contractors and were forced to work overtime for no extra money.

The government says it will monitor the construction agencies to ensure all labor laws are followed.

Bhatnagar, the government official, said just a little more patience will yield rich dividends for this city of nearly 16 million and leave it with a lasting legacy.

"Right now everything is dug up, but by the end of June a beautiful city will begin emerging," he said.

Shooting range for CWG is ready

The state-of-the-art new shooting range constructed for the Commonwealth Games at Kadarpur will be inaugurated on Saturday.

The range in Haryana will host the full bore shooting competition in the Games starting on October 3.

Built within the Central Reserve Police Force campus, the range has a full bore shooting range and 25m, 50m baffle ranges.

The Haryana government has already started construction of road between IFFCO Chowk and Kadarpur CRPF camp via Gurgaon Sector 56 and 61.

Kumari, Goswami fail to qualify for finals in shooting WC

India's Meena Kumari and Lajja Goswami finished 10th and 11th respectively after failing to qualify for the final round in 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women in the ISSF World Cup on Thursday.

Kumari shot a series of 97, 98 in prone, 93, 96 in standing and 96, 96 in kneeling for an aggregate of 576 to miss out of the final round.

Goswami had same totals with Kumari in prone 195 (100+ 95) and standing 189 (96+93) but was a point less in kneeling 191 (96+95). She had 3 positions aggregate of 575.

India had so far won three silver in the competition.

Sanjeev Rajput, Joydeep Karmakar and Omkar Singh had bagged a silver each in men's air rifle, men's 50m Rifle Prone and men's 10m Rifle Prone events.

Go green, pay for carbon footprint during Games

Driving, flying or home energy use, many innocuous everyday activities contribute to global warming. But now you can pay for your carbon footprint and redeem yourself during the Delhi Commonwealth Games.

As part of the first 'green' Games, the organising committee has decided to set up carbon neutrality kiosks at the Games Village and six venues where people can buy carbon credits to neutralise the harmful environmental effect of their activities.

"The initiative will help neutralise carbon dioxide emissions during the Games," CWG organising committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot told IANS, explaining the work undertaken by General Environment and Sustainability Division (GESD).

"A customised travel footprint calculator will be installed at these kiosks where people can come and calculate the carbon emission during their travel from their home to the Village or venues."

An estimated 100,000 to 150,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases will be emitted during the Oct 3-14 Games. The organisers committee will motivate athletes, delegates, spectators and others to offset their carbon footprint by investing in clean energy projects.

Carbon footprint is the amount of carbon emitted by an activity.

"Those interested can offset an equivalent amount of emission by investing in clean development mechanism projects," he said.

The basic idea of carbon offset is to figure out your personal contribution to the global warming from activities such as driving, flying or home energy use. Carbon offsets help you take personal responsibility for the environmental consequences of your activities.

The organising committee has written to a few carbon credit selling companies in the country to come and set up their kiosks.

"It will be a one-stop shop where people can offset their carbon footprints by investing in clean sources of energy like hydroelectric, nuclear or wind," added Bhanot's colleague in GESD.

According to the World Bank, India is the second largest seller of carbon credits, after China. The global carbon credit market is estimated to grow to a whopping $100 billion this year, in which India could emerge as one of the largest beneficiaries with as much as a 25-percent share.

A host of Indian companies, both state-run and private sector ones , deal in carbon credits. The Delhi Metro, for example, which will ferry athletes and visitors during the Games, is expected to earn 400,000 carbon credits over a 10-year period, beginning December 2007, for its clean mode of transport.