Graft allegations add to Delhi's woes two months out

The government has urged Commonwealth Games organisers to sack two officials at the centre of corruption allegations in another blow to the troubled event two months before the opening ceremony.

Organisers of the Oct. 3-14 Games were already struggling with a budget that has grown to 17 times the original estimate, delays in venue construction, a dearth of sponsorship and withdrawals by big name athletes.

On Tuesday, a three-member panel was established to look into the allegations of financial irregularities by two senior organising committee (OC) officials.

"We have received a letter from the Sports Ministry in which the ministry expressed concerns about two officials," OC spokesman Lalit Bhanot told reporters on Tuesday.

The panel, headed by OC chief executive Jarnail Singh, would submit its report "soon", Bhanot added.

The country's first hosting of a major multi-sport Games since the 1982 Asian Games is threatening to become a national embarrassment.

A report from the government anti-corruption agency leaked to the media last weekend identified 16 Games construction projects where large-scale financial irregularities are suspected.

Organisers were able to wash their hands of that issue as the construction work was being conducted by government agencies but it did nothing to dissipate negative perceptions surrounding the Games.

The latest allegations resulted in the sports ministry sending a letter to OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Sunday, advising him to drop the two officials -- TS Darbari, a director general at the OC, and Sanjay Mohindroo, a deputy director general.

"With the Games just two months away, (such) matters ... raise questions of probity and integrity of officers in the OC," read the letter, which was also leaked to the media.

"They tarnish the image of the Games and adversely affect its credibility."

Darbari has denied any wrongdoing while Mohindroo has been unavailable for comment.

The issue even reached the Indian parliament on Tuesday with the opposition creating uproar in both the houses.

With time fast running out before the arrival of the 8,000 athletes and officials, organisers are putting on a brave face even if the signs are far from encouraging.

Sports Minister MS Gill told the parliament last week that the estimated cost of conducting the Games had escalated from 6.5 billion rupees ($142 million) in 2003 to some 115 billion.

The Games has failed to attract significant sponsors outside the state-owned companies but organisers are upbeat about late initiatives to attract revenue.

The primary concern now for organisers is getting the six venue-clusters and the five stand-alone facilities ready for the event.

The annual monsoon has added to their woes by further disrupting construction, submerging approach roads, waterlogging building sites and exposing leaks in the completed venues.