Thursday, January 7, 2010

Bhupathi: Paes and I best CWG gold hope

Doubles ace Mahesh Bhupathi firmly believes that the combination of him and Leander Paes still remains India’s best chance for a gold in the doubles of the Commonwealth Games that is to be held in New Delhi later this year.

Speaking to The Telegraph on Thursday, after pairing up with Rohan Bopanna to outclass the Americans James Cerretani and Travis Rettenmaier 6-3, 7-6 in a first round doubles match at the Nungambakkam tennis stadium, Bhupathi sounded excited about the Commonwealth Games.

“It has become big for us because it is being played in our backyard for the first time. Personally, I feel India have a huge chance of winning quite a few medals at the Commonwealth Games,” said Bhupathi.

“Actually, we can sweep all the medals at stake (in tennis), but for that we have to play well and plan properly,” he said.

Asked whether he would partner Bopanna instead of Paes, Bhupathi said: “I don’t think so. It is still me and Leander who have the best chance of winning gold.”

But then, what about the controversy they generate whenever they play together? Bhupathi smiled: “Look, there has been no controversy in the past two years. So let’s not start one now. We all will be playing for the nation in the Commonwealth Games.”

Bhupathi said he was focusing on the new season and that his aim was to win the Australian Open doubles, a trophy missing from his cabinet.

Bhupathi said Bopanna had a bright future and should soon emerge as a top doubles player. As to whether doubles was hampering Bopanna’s chances in singles, Bhupathi said it was part of the game and a player should be able to balance the two.

“I know he (Bopanna) is playing both singles and doubles and trying to find a balance between the two. He is a good player and needs to take care of his singles as well. I understand it sometimes becomes difficult to maintain the singles ranking, but that’s part of the game. One has to live with it in tennis,” said the seasoned campaigner.

For the ongoing meet, he and Bopanna are taking things match by match. “We have just started playing together, so far we have a hundred per cent record from one match (laughs). We are at the moment taking it match by match. At the same time, we are careful as well. We can’t take anything for granted. It’s a tough tournament.”

Bhupathi said it was wrong to suggest that the absence of qualifiers in the doubles event of ATP tournaments had made it difficult for youngsters to play at top meets.

“It is not exactly like that,” he said. “One can still make it to bigger events by doing well in the Challengers. Look at the pair we play next (Colin Fleming and Ker Skupski). Last year they played in Challengers and, I believe, won a couple of them. And now they are playing here. If one starts playing well, he will definitely get a chance.”

On Yuki Bhambri, Mahesh said: “He has been doing well. Everybody around is impressed with him. He is still young and by the time he is 21, I am sure he would have grown as an athlete. Hopefully, he will be a strong player for India.”

NDMC’s digging frenzy in CP stalls traffic, hits trade

After making a mess of Connaught Place by starting digging work in Middle Circle to transfer all cables and pipelines underground before Commonwealth Games and Outer Circle to upgrade eight subways New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) officials are now saying they might not be able to complete the work in Middle Circle before the Games.

This has hit CP's traders hard. They say sales have dropped by more than 50% and that they might be forced to hold protests against the ongoing work. Construction of the CP Metro station had earlier given them a setback and they are just recovering from it.

NDMC had started digging work in Middle Circle to carry out service ducting to place all cables and pipelines underground before the Games. But NDMC sources say that while tunnelling will be completed before the Games, they will not be able to transfer the service lines underground by then. Then why the hurry?

Said an NDMC official: "We will complete tunnelling before the Games but cables and pipelines will be placed underground only after the Commonwealth Games. Once tunnelling is complete, we will re-lay the road and beautify the area. The tunnel had to be made before carrying out beautification of the area and we will be ready with the tunnel before the Games. No further digging will be needed later as the service lines will be transferred underground through openings that will be made overground.''

At present, facade restoration work is going on in 16 blocks of CP. It has already eaten into footpaths, making it difficult for pedestrians to walk in the area. Around 30-40% of restoration work has been completed till now. Besides this, NDMC has also begun construction of eight subways in Outer Circle, which has completely choked traffic in the area as only half the carriageway is available for traffic.

The traders are also sceptical about the subway work which has an August 2010 deadline getting completed before the Games as the monsoon is likely to delay work for at least two months.

Said president of New Delhi Traders' Association, Atul Bharghav: "They are holding CP to ransom. We cannot continue to bear losses for six months. Sales have dropped by more than 50% and this is peak business time for us. I have been getting calls from agitated shopkeepers. In such a scenario, we might have to hold protests. NDMC shouldn't have started work on the project like this. They are cutting it too close to the deadline. We are going to hold a meeting on this matter on Friday to chart our course of action.''

Says Sneha Singh, who works in a bank in CP: "It is complete madness. It takes me an hour just to get to CP and there are constant traffic jams on Panchkuian Road, Minto Road etc. I have to get out of my house in Lajpat Nagar at least two hours before office hours in order to get to office on time. Finding parking is also impossible with no parking now available in Outer Circle and Middle Circle.''

Federation opts for tender process

Buoyed by the success of its boxers, the national federation has opted to go for a tender process to identify the promoter to take the sport to the next level in the country.

The Secretary-General of the Indian Boxing Federation (IBF), Col. Muralidharan Raja, said a few marketing agents had already shown interest, and it was decided to go for a democratic process to get the best deal for the sport.

“Many companies like Sahara, IMG and Percept are interested in promoting the sport. We are going to release a tender soon. A minimum guarantee is being sought from the bidder by the federation. We will give 21 days for the companies to make their offer. Thereafter, we will make the best choice,” said Col. Raja, while addressing a press conference regarding the Commonwealth boxing championship in the Capital from March 10 to 18.

“We could have identified the title sponsor, etc by now, but we thought it better to give the marketing agent a chance to get an event of this stature straightaway,” said Col. Raja.

The IBF secretary-general also revealed that the organising committee of the Commonwealth Games would extend support in select areas like accommodation, as it would be a test event before the mega show.
Strong field

Except for Australia which had expressed its inability to make it for the Commonwealth championship owing to other commitments back home, the rest of the countries like England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Kenya, Samoa and Singapore are scheduled to field their teams.

“England will have a full team of 10 boxers. There are many other countries which are in the process of confirming their participation,” said Col. Raja.

National coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said leading countries might not reveal all their cards, and possibly preserve the best for the Commonwealth Games. However, it would be a good opportunity for everyone concerned to get a feel of the infrastructure before the real show in October.

“I cannot comment or commit about our team, as I am only one of many selectors. We will study the performance of the boxers in the Super Cup inter-zone competition in Mumbai, apart from the trials. The selection would be done towards the end of February or early March,” said the coach.
Keen to improve

Though he was not ready to be drawn into a discussion about the prospects of the Indian boxers, Sandhu was quick to say that the Indian boxing team would be keen to improve on the five medals it had won in the last Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006 when Akhil Kumar bagged the gold.

Meanwhile, the International Boxing Association (IBA) has nominated Pat McCrory of Ireland as technical delegate for the Commonwealth championship and Keither Walker of New Zealand, Nieva Embuldenia of Sri Lanka and Eduard Abdulmanov of Russia as jury members.

The championship is scheduled to be held at the NDMC Indoor Stadium, which is expected to be ready by the end of January.

My life in sport: Jan Khan

This is a surprise, but Jan Khan wasn't drawn to lawn bowls on the back lawn, so to speak.
The daughter of one of this country's most famous bowlers, Millie Khan, took up bowls relatively late and only after a health crisis.
A Commonwealth Games and world bowls bronze medallist, the 51-year-old Jan finally claimed the prized national singles title at Lower Hutt in the New Year.

Millie Khan won 12 national titles including four singles, and memories of her mother - who died suddenly in 2003 - helped inspired Jan to a mammoth 21-5 win over another Cantabrian, Jan Shirley, in the final.

Jan Khan answers a few questions from the Herald.

Let's start by getting the name right. Jan is pronounced as Jarn ...

It should have been spelt Jahn, but mum and dad spelt it Jan ... I'm named after my great-great-great grandmother, with Dad of course having the Pakistani blood. Maraea is actually my first name. Everyone calls me Chilli. I was playing a test series in the UK when the New Zealand men started calling me Chilli ... I'm always chasing my bowls, talking to them, saying "Come on big boy, get in there". They went hot stuff Chilli, as in "chilli con Kahn".

How long have you been dreaming of the national singles title and what was the key to winning the final?

It's not dreaming so much - you want to play decent bowls and make the quarter-finals of any tournament you play. I arrived early at the greens to watch how the wind was affecting the bowls. Normally I play up and down the same side, but I decided to play around the clock as we call it - I just played the backhand from both ends. I found a nice rhythm doing that.

What inspired you to take up bowls?

My partner at that time and I were one of eight couples who decided to move to Australia together. I was 29 and had just arrived on the Gold Coast when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a full mastectomy there and couldn't have a blood transfusion - the HIV virus was rife and they couldn't test the blood with 100 per cent accuracy. It was a frightening time especially as I'd had a full medical clearance before leaving New Zealand. I've got five sisters and no one else in the family had had breast cancer. I came straight home after the operation. I just wanted to be with mum and the family.

The doctor told me to take it easy for a year - I'd always played netball and indoor basketball, fast-paced games. Mum said to me: "You've had those bowls in the wardrobe for six years - why not give bowls a go?" So I did, just to keep my hand in with a sport. I'd go for roll ups with the local members and then mum started entering me into centre events. I thought "oh well, might as well" and it went from there.
Were you green on the greens?

When I first went to the Matamata club mum was away with the New Zealand team. I could see the bowlers lining up the mat, but I didn't know what they were doing. One of them said to me that I must have known because I'd watched a lot of bowls, but there is a big difference between playing and watching. The skip asked me to change hands because a bowl was in the way, and I put my bowl in the left hand. How embarrassing. Once I started playing, I loved the game. I had never realised what a challenge bowls was. I would ring mum and say I'll pick you up, we're off to the club, and she'd say "oh my God - I'm all bowled out". I was so keen. I'm mainly self-taught.

Your high point?

Definitely playing with mum and my sister Marina. We won two national fours ... we always called it our working holiday. Have fun, just enjoy the moment together. We were brought up to be a close family.

Your low point?

The breast cancer and operation. I've moved on, and I get yearly clearances. But gosh, I was just so happy to get through it. Russell Broadbent, an ex-Kiwi, was my surgeon at the Allamanda Private Hospital in Southport. He was brilliant. When I woke up I just thought I'm alive, I'm alive. I thought all my Christmases had come at once. I came home and stayed home - it made me realise how much I missed my family.

What is your major career ambition?

To get selected for the Commonwealth Games in India. I'll go in any discipline - just to be selected would be lovely.

Who has been your toughest opponent?

Back then, it was mum. I put her out in a champion of champions semifinal - that was a tough game. She said to me: "Bubs, you are bowling lovely, carry on like that, and just keep going." Every time I drew the jack she would run or drive my bowl off. People said later that mum threw the game, but how dare people surmise that? They had no right. We were both fighting for the game all the way - that is what sport is all about. Anyone who saw the game knew it was bowl for bowl. It was disgusting what some people said.

Your first sporting heroes?

I suppose cricketers, Richard Hadlee certainly was. Then of course there were the rugby guys. We were a rugby family. Players like Sid Going were my heroes, back then.

What is your best coaching tip for bowlers?

Be yourself, relax and enjoy. If you are tensed up and worried about an opponent, you will have beaten yourself up before you start. People ask who I am about to play and most of the time all I know is what rink I am on. I never worry about who I am playing.

Your biggest bowls disappointment?

My sister Marina was dropped from the New Zealand squad last year and we just can't fathom why. We won a medal in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and we were in a triple with Sharon Sims which won a medal at the world bowls. I was gutted about Marina being dropped. You can imagine how she felt. There are people selected who haven't proven themselves - we have asked the selectors why, but you don't get an answer. I nearly resigned over it, but Marina told me to keep going.

We hear you have a very hectic schedule between bowls and work?

I'm a caregiver and team leader at a rest home near Riccarton. There are three of us on the night shift - I get there at 11.30pm and finish at 7.15 in the morning. I realised that I couldn't have a day job if I wanted to progress in bowls. If a championship is on I rush home to have a shower and then off to a green somewhere by 8.30am or 9 o'clock. Often I'll head home, organise the housework, prepare dinner, go for a roll-up and then come home and have a sleep before doing it all again. My partner Trevor Todd is an indoor bowler. I've tried to get him playing outdoor bowls, but he says there's enough with me bowling all the time ...

Any superstitions?

Mum always said "Fly big bird, go for gold". If you found a feather on your rink, you picked it up and put it in your pocket or bra for good luck. It couldn't be a white one, it had to be dark. Every time at the nationals, mum would give us a little massage and then draw a bird on our shoulder or back with her finger - Marina and I still do it to each other now. There were a lot of pigeons near where I was staying at the nationals so I thought that was a good omen. You wouldn't believe it - Gazza [Gary Lawson] came over to me before the fours final and said "Chilli, I want a bird on my back," so I did one for him. Mum always did that for the guys when they were away on the internationals. Gary said to me: "Millie isn't here but Chilli, I need a bird from you."

Fly well Jan, and good luck for Commonwealth Games selection.

Guernsey athletes are in a 'golden era', says president

President of the Guernsey Athletics Club Alun Williams is expecting the next five years to herald a 'golden era' at the club.

Williams told BBC Guernsey that a host of promising youngsters are just starting to show their potential.

He said: "We've got great prospects for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and we're also looking ahead to 2014.

"We haven't come up with the idea that we're moving into a 'golden era' lightly, it's based on evidence."

In recent years, Guernsey's most consistent performers have been Dale Garland and Lee Merrien, who have both put in strong performances in international competitions.

Garland has appeared at both the Olympic and Commonwealth Games in the 400m hurdles, whilst Merrien has represented Great Britain at the European Cross Country Championships.

Williams said: "We've got so many good youngsters who could step up to the plate in the same way Lee and Dale have done.

"It really is a privilege to be involved with them and they're setting the standard for the club."

The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi will provide the next worldwide platform for Guernsey's athletes to shine, and Williams is predicting a vintage year for the team that go to India.

He said: "We'll hopefully send over a team of six, seven or eight athletes to Delhi.

"The standards that we've set to get to Delhi are really high so we know they'll be mixing it with the other competitors."

Oz opt out of Commonwealth Boxing Ch'mpshp

The CW Boxing Championship would present a massive challenge for Indian pugilists as they brace up to square off against glovesmen from 13 nations despite Australia's pull-out.

Close to 120 boxers are expected to participate in the event at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, which is still undergoing renovation for the Commonwealth Games in October.

"The stadium would be ready. Even if it is not ready completely, the part that we need, which is the arena and the lounge area for boxers and officials, would be ready," Indian Boxing Federation secretary general P K Muralidharan Raja told reporters here today.

The championships were postponed last year due to the non-completion of the construction work at the venue.

India, which won a gold, two silver and six bronze medals in the fifth edition, will host boxers from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Mauritius, kenya, Samoa and Singapore.

The IBF is still awaiting confirmation from Canada while Australia has turned down the invitation citing previous commitments.

"Australia regretted not being able to participate due to prior commitments and didn't specify anything else. We are awaiting confirmation from Canada and hopefully it will come soon," Raja said.

"All the remaining top Commonwealth nations are coming.

So, we expect a tough competition," he added.

The event will be the first to feature boxers in the new weight categories announced last year. The AIBA reshuffled the divisions to abolish featherweight (57kg) and increase the bantam weight from 54kg to 56kg.

2005 Commonwealth Championship and the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar, also an Olympian, said India can look forward to best-ever results in the event this time.

"The team has not yet been selected but I can tell you, the results are going to be excellent. All the boxers have trained very hard and we will get a good haul of medals," he said.

The Indian team for the event would be selected on the basis of the boxers' performance in this month's Super Cup and the trials to be held a couple of weeks ahead of the Championships.

"The Super Cup would allow us to identify upcoming names and during the trials, those who do not participate in Super Cup will get their chance to prove their worth," Raja said.

Commonwealth: Gopi hopes for rich harvest

National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand today hoped that Indian shuttlers will put up a sterling performance at this year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

''In the previous Games, shuttlers bagged two medals,'' Padmashri Gopichand -- who also received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award -- told media here after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for promoting the sport in Madhya Pradesh and training players of the State Badminton Academy to be set up in Gwalior.

Gopichand, who bagged the All-England Badminton Championship in 2001, advised that Indians should pay more attention to fitness to compete against leading shuttlers from China, Malaysia and Singapore.

''It is not easy to confront China as -- in that country -- the infrastructure facilities and training method is much better and systematic. Many Indian players perform well in the beginning but are unable to maintain it. Dedication is required. Four major events are to precede the Games,'' he pointed out.

The state's Director (Sports) Sanjay Chaudhary said that the Academy is likely to be operational by June. The MoU is between the Sports Department and the Hyderabad-based Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy. Gopichand will play the role of the Gwalior Academy's advisor.

South Africa 2010 to Decide Africa's Fate

The succcess or otherwise of the FIFA World Cup that South Africa is hosting this summer has been described as the likely determinant of whether the African continent has the capacity to host the Olympics.

Ed Hula, editor of Around the Rings magazine that has just named FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter as the person to weild the greatest influence in the Olympic Movement this year, said yesterday that once the World Cup is a success, there was no denying the country the chance to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

"If the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is a success, the country is clearly in the running for the 2020 Olympics. Rio de Janeiro called for the first Games in South America and succeeded. We could see this happen with Africa," observed the ART editor in the current edition of the magazine.

Interestingly, Hula's observation appears to reinforce the general impression of most members of the Olympic movement within Africa.

Previously, the continent was concidered to lack both the capacity and men to drive a global multi-sports event like the Olympic Games. But Blatter's faith on the South African project has now opened a floodgate of opportunities, that is, if success is achieved this summer with the hosting. Nigeria in 2007 lost the bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games to Glasgow. The bid failed principally because members of the Commonwealth Games Federation were not convinced that Abuja nor any other African city has the capacity to host a successful Games.

Blatter while throwing his hat into the ring in support of South Africa for the World Cup, had in the wake of talks of possible taking away the hosting from Mandela's country due to slack in Stadium construction said there were plan B and C. "Plan B is South Africa while Plan C is also South Africa."

It is not impossible that Blatter's running of FIFA may have catapulted him to the top of the annual Around the Rings 'Golden 25' ahead of his International Olympic Committee (IOC) counterpart, Jacques Rogge, who managed the second position. Blatter has served as an IOC member since 1999.

In the past 14 years ATR has listed the most important and powerful figures in the Olympic Movement.

The FIFA President, who is ranked at number 53 in the Forbes' list of the world's most powerful people, was also named by EUROSOCCER as Switzerland's most influential person in November last year.

RTI applies to Commonwealth Games organising committee

The Delhi High Court Thursday ruled that the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) fall under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and have to provide information to an applicant.

Dismissing the appeals of the Games Organising Committee and the IOA against the Central Information Commission’s (CIC) order to provide information, Justice Ravinder Bhatt ruled that both are public authorities under the RTI Act and have to provide information and cannot keep their accounts private.

‘India is in the midst of challenges. The model chosen by the government of ensuring spread of welfare and its benefits, includes functioning through non-government agencies, who are tasked and assisted for this purpose. The crucial role of access to information here cannot be understated,’ the bench said.

The CGOC had contended that it is an independent and autonomous body and not liable to reveal information under the RTI act.

On the other hand, the central government said that almost the whole budgetary support to the Games project is provided by the government and the committee cannot take the plea that it is an independent body.

‘The IOA is a registered society. No doubt, there is no state or public involvement in its establishment, or administration. It does not receive grants as is traditionally understood. It is the national face of the Olympic movement in India. But the funds and the other interests incurred by the association is accountable. It is held that the IOA is a public authority under the meaning of that expression under the Act,’ the bench ruled.

The dispute erupted after a person filed an RTI application in the sports ministry, seeking to know the details of payments made to actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Saif Ali Khan among others for taking them to the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Melbourne in 2006.

The CIC in November 2006 held that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was a public authority and directed it to provide the particulars of expenses incurred by it on tours in connection with the Commonwealth Games to the RTI applicant.

The court also asked Sanskriti School to provide information under the RTI act and said, ‘The school has been substantially financed by the central government, through various departments, and agencies. It is therefore, covered by the regime of the Act.’

The school had argued that the school is only funded by the government but is running with the efforts of the wives of civil services officers.

Lee and I should team for gold in Commonwealth Games: Mahesh

''If India has to win gold in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi, then Leander Paes and I have to pair up,'' Doubles ace Mahesh Bhupathi said.
Talking to reporters after winning his first-round match in the Aircel Chennai Open alongside his partner Rohan Bopanna, Bhupathi asserted that Paes and he were best equipped to land gold in the CWG.
About their chances in the Chennai Open, he said ''we are taking one match at a time.'' About the super tie-breaker, Bopanna said, it gave a chance for every team to even upset fancied partnerships, adding ''one can't take things for granted.'' It may be recalled that Leander and Mahesh formed the most potent pair in the world winning a series of Grand slam titles before they parted ways.

Their fairytale run started in the Chennai Open when they won three titles in a row and went on to win Grand Slam titles, forming the most potent combination in the world.

Making citizens behave, a daunting task before Commonwealth Games

Delhi is leaving no stone unturned to overhaul its transport system for meeting the demands of the upcoming Commonwealth Games, but it still faces one of the most daunting tasks -- to groom its citizens to behave courteously while travelling.Delhiites have gained a dubious distinction of being discourteous, especially when they use public transport, and now this attitude has become a headache for the authorities, who blame it on degradation of values of citizens.Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who wants the sporting extravaganza to be a memorable one for tourists, had recently announced that her government would launch a campaign to "change the way the society behaves so that it becomes more caring and also sharing". But it does not seem to have any effect on the citizens of the national capital, which is expected to receive about 1,00,000 tourists and 9,000 athletes and officials from the 52 Commonwealth countries during the mega event, said a DTC official.

"Value system has degraded. People have grown selfish and see their comfort only. Some passengers get into a tiff with co-travellers and do not leave their seats," rues DTC spokesperson R K Kasana.

"We received a number of complaints of passenger misbehaviour during the past year. The situation forced us to paste stickers reserving four seats each for ladies, senior citizens and needy in each coach," said Anuj Dayal, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson.

"We have launched these initiatives for the convenience of travellers, but they can be successful only with people's cooperation," Dayal told PTI.

Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) also has a similar seat reservation system, but officials feel "passengers need to be cooperative to make these initiatives a success.

"Had people realised their responsibilities as sincere citizens, there would not have been any need for such reservations," he said. On the issue of security of passengers, especially women commuters, Kasana said, "DTC has framed guidelines which empowers its drivers and conductors to ask a misbehaving passenger to leave the bus."
They can hand over an erring passenger to the police, if required, he said.

"CISF is responsible for security arrangements at all metro stations," Dayal said, referring to the security measures adopted by the DMRC. "Inside the trains, we have passenger alarm buttons to establish contact with train driver. A person who needs help can contact the driver and he will do the needful," he said, adding that each train has around twelve such buttons.

Pointing out that the driver was the only DMRC employee on each train, he said, "It is for the commuters to cooperate and make things move smoothly." The DMRC has also taken strict measures to keep its stations and trains clean and any one found littering and spitting inside metro premises is fined Rs 200. "The fine is not for the books only. We extract it from the offender and if a person desists from paying the fine, we hand him over to higher authorities for appropriate action," he said.

To catch offenders red-handed, DMRC has "special flying squads" which pay surprise visits to metro stations and trains and catch anyone flouting the rules.

The DMRC has also launched a citizen voluntary movement under which trained volunteers inform passengers about 'dos and donts' to maintain security and cleanliness inside metro stations and trains.

DTC, however, has no such provision. When asked, Kasana said, "One should not compare DTC with metro. Metro has a dedicated line and premises, but we have an open area to cover.

M P Singh of Institute of Public Health and Hygiene-IPHH, a city-based NGO, feels, "Delhiites are not just aggressive and careless, they also lack civic sense."

"People here often ignore traffic rules and enter into an argument if objected," Singh said, adding this seems to be a major area of concern which the authorities have to look into ahead of the sporting event. Even the MCD has taken a call on the issue. It recently approved a legislation that allows a penalty of up to Rs 200 -- three times that of the existing penalty -- for those found littering, spitting and urinating in public and committing other similar offences.

Singh, however, believes that imposing fines would only have a marginal and short term effect on people. "Their mindset needs to be changed and it can be achieved through extensive awareness drives," he said.

MCD Director (Sanitation) Anil Prakash said, "We will have to make people realise that the city is their own and that they should support the authorities in their efforts to make Delhi a better place."

Australia pulls out of Commonwealth Championships in India

Indian pugilists will be up against some of the best boxers of the world in the Commonwealth Championships that commences from March 10-18 here even as Australia continued to have reservations in sending its athletes to India.

All the major Commonwealth countries have confirmed their participation for the event that will see 120 boxers competing in 10 weight categories but Australia preferred to stay away from the Championships.

Indian Boxing Federation (IBF) secretary general Col Muralidaran Raja said around 15 countries including, England, Pakistan, South Africa have already confirmed their particpation and added that a Canada is also expected to join the list.

He claimed that it was because Australia was itself hosting an international event during the same time, so they chose to keep themselves away from the 11-day event.

''We have received confirmation from all the major Commonwealth countries and Canada is expected to confirm any time soon. Australia has pulled out of the event. We don't know the exact reason but we are told their boxers will be participating in an event at home,'' Raja told mediapersons today.

At a time when various test events for the Commonwealth Games are being postponed, a successful conduct of the Boxing Championships will come as a huge boost for India.

''Yes we have all the support from the AIBA (International Boxing Association) and the Sports Ministry here. boxing is no longer a sport that it used to be in India but has now grown in stature and that was the reason we wanted the our boxers to compete against the best in the world,'' Raja said.

The AIBA has already approved the Championships and has nominated a liost of foreign officials who will oversee the conduct of the event.

Akhil Kumar, who brought home a gold from the last Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, was upbeat about his chances in the event and said the competition will serve as a good practice ground for the Indian pugilists' chances in the October Games.

''All our boxers have been doing really well for quite some time now and we are hopeful that we will be able to make this event count before the Commonwealth Games in October,'' Akhil said.

''Competing at home does give us some advantage and we will have a similar environment during the Commonwealth Games, so the boxing Championships will certainly be a good help for us,'' he added.

On expectations from himself, Akhil said he had been preparaing hard for of late and was very confident that he will not settle for anything less than a gold in front of his home crowd.

Today's India is truly incredible: Malayalee Americans

They left India years ago seeking greener pastures in the West. But, looking at the growth logged by their country of origin and development all around, members of the Malayalee diaspora in the US think today's India is truly incredible.

"All the preparations for Commonwealth Games and development I see all around -- Delhi
Metro, the airport, the malls, residential complexes -- it is all very impressive," said Paul Mathai, who represents the Federation of Malayalee Associations of Americas (FOMAA).

"Even in Mumbai, where I worked 30 years ago, the shanties have moved out of the airport premises. It is unbelievable that the government is building homes
for slum dwellers," Mathai, here for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, told IANS.

The overseas Malayalees are impressed by the high priority being given to the people of Indian origin duing the two tenures of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government -- which set up the first exclusive ministry on overseas Indian affairs.

"Previously, nobody was concerned about non-resident Indians or people of Indian origin. Now after the formation of new ministry, there is considerable change," said Sasidharan Nair, founder president of the federation.

"Today's India is truly incredible."

Joseph Ouso, another prominent member of the association and a senior executive with the Boeing Company, said many Indians left for the US to seek employment. But today the same set of people are impressed by India's growth and opportunities.

"Many Indians in the US lost their jobs because of the slowdown. Many lost their homes. And many were forced to leave. But in India still there is growth and still there are opportunities," Ouso said.

Speaking about the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, that kicked off Thursday, the members of the association said as many as 100 delegates are participating. "This is the first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas our members are attending," said Ouso.

Founded in 2008, the federation is an umbrella organisation of 42 Malayalee associations in the US, Mexico and Canada.

"We are second largest association of Indians in the Americas after Gujaratis. We have 500,000 members," said Nair. The US is home to nearly three million Indian Americans, considered the best educated and the most affluent among all ethnic groups.

Among the Malayalees, he said, noteworthy contribution was being made by nurses in the US who were much sought after in hospitals. "Nurses are the best visible face of Malayalees in the US," said Ouso, who is treasurer of the federation.
 


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