Metro says yes to IGI tunnel under runway

Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan is learnt to have agreed to Airports Authority of India's (AAI) request for building the runway-tunnel link from Dwarka roundabout to a road leading to the upcoming terminal (T3). DMRC has sought an advance deposit of Rs 35 crore, roughly half of the total cost of the 1.5-km-long and six-lane link with a 343-metre tunnel that will pass under IGI's main runway. AAI, said sources, will ask the Delhi government to release this amount to them so that the work can begin at the earliest.

Sreedharan conveyed his consent last Friday. DMRC has sought Rs 35 crore immediately to begin preliminary investigation and preparatory work, said a relieved top AAI official. Metro had initially expressed reservation about taking up the project as its hands were full in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games. But given Metro's expertise in tunnelling work, the aviation ministry was very keen that it agrees. So AAI chairman V P Agrawal took up the issue with Sreedharan. Now DMRC will be building both high-speed rail and new road link to T3.

The aviation ministry is according top priority to this project as it has to be ready much before the Commonwealth Games in October. Last Friday, after getting Sreedharan's consent to take up the job, it sent the proposal to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for approval. The regulator is will examine the technical details as it passes under an operational runway. The tunnel will pass under the area that houses the approach lights of the main runway (28), next to the famous Jumbo Point.

IGI's runway tunnel will be the first hi-tech dream of AAI taking concrete shape. There are three other fancy plans for extending runways. In Kullu, it plans to extend the existing air strip by making a bridge over the river Beas that flows next to the airport. Similarly, there are plans to extend Lakshwadeep's runway by linking two islands through a sea link. And finally, to ease congestion at Mumbai's main airport, it wants to extend the runway at Juhu airport by covering the road ahead of the airstrip. Traffic is planned to be routed through an underground tunnel below the extended runway.

"All these plans are in different stages of conception. But Delhi is a flashpoint as T3 has to handle all international and domestic traffic in a few months. So, having just one approach road to the integrated terminal is a recipe for jams. We simply had to do something before Commonwealth Games and came upon this idea. In fact, this plan was the last to be conceived and will be the first to be implemented,'' said a senior AAI official.

‘Western snobs’ blamed for Delhi security fears

The president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has blamed mounting concerns about Delhi’s preparations on Western snobbery.

“I don’t think there is any doubt about that whatsoever,” Mike Fennell said. “If a problem occurs in India then it is viewed differently to the same problem in another country. There are certain perceptions.”

Fennell has been forced on to the front foot after it was reported that senior Whitehall officials had said there was “virtually no chance” that an England team would be sent to the Commonwealth Games in October because of the security risk in Delhi. Fennell warned that if that proved to be the case there might be repercussions for the Olympic Games in London in 2012.

“I wouldn’t want to go down that road, but some people will be thinking that way,” he said. “A country that wants to host an event should think how other people will then view the security risks in their own country. The fact is there is always a security risk. Everybody has to make their own decisions but if you don’t go [to Delhi] I suggest you don’t travel anywhere in the world.”

The road to Delhi has been pitted with problems. Last month Fennell said news of further construction delays was “distressing”, with the main Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the swimming complex the primary concerns. Sheila Dikshit, the chief minister of Delhi, hardly assuaged those fears by saying that she was praying the Games would be a success, while there has been an ugly spat in which Suresh Kalmadi, the Organising Committee chairman, described Mike Hooper, the CGF chief executive, as “useless” and an “impediment”.

Fennell said: “That was damaging to the extent that certain things that should have been done were delayed because of personality clashes, but we have overcome that now.” He also sounded a more upbeat note regarding the construction work and said that there was no contingency plan to move the Games to another country.

“Not at the moment,” he said. “Having a contingency like that is virtually impossible at such short notice. There would be a huge cost. The contingency is to get Delhi right.”

Fennell said he was “reasonably confident” that Delhi would be ready and pointed out that stories about missed deadlines and tardy workers were part of the preamble to any Games. “The main stadium and the swimming pool should be ready in time for the end of March, early April,” he said. “That still gives us time to run test events.”

The CGF Co-ordination Commission said last month that some venues would not be handed over until June, and Fennell said: “We monitor the situation very closely and we can go very late. We’ve had Games in the past, like the Olympics in Athens, where people were very nervous right up until a month before. The Commonwealth Games in Manchester had problems right up to the end but they turned out to be excellent. Organising a multisport Games is a very complex issue. It’s all systems go and we want everything signed off by the end of August.”

Some will think that Fennell is being unduly optimistic. Last October the bitter row between Indian sports chiefs and the CGF reached its nadir amid demands that Hooper be repatriated. In turn, when asked whether Delhi was unprepared, Hooper replied: “I think that is the understatement of the year.” Controversially, Fennell then proposed creating an independent Technical Review Committee, but later scrapped the idea, leading to claims in the Indian media that he was “flip-flopping”.

Now there is a more united front with all sides rejecting fears about security. The gun attack on the Togo football team on their way to the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola highlighted sport’s vulnerability to terrorism, but while admitting that India was a volatile part of the world, Fennell was scathing of England’s withdrawal from the World Badminton Championships in Hyderabad last August because of a perceived threat. “That was a major mistake,” he said. “The tournament was a success. The only people who lost were the athletes who were prevented from participating.” Fennell said it would be a setback if England did not send a team to Delhi, but added: “The Games would proceed and the bigger blow would be to the English athletes.”

The CGF has been working with Intelligent Risks, a leading global security firm, since 2005, but another security consultant, Lloyd Bromfield, said last week that athletes would be at risk and one scenario was “a team of Osamas running around with hand grenades”. Intelligent Risks said Bromfield had no knowledge of its detailed plans.

City govt says all CWG projects to complete in time

Brushing aside apprehensions over the city’s preparation for the Commonwealth Games, Delhi Government on Monday said all projects linked to the sporting event will be completed much ahead of the deadline.

“All projects being undertaken by the Delhi Government will be completed much before commencement of the mega event,” Delhi PWD Minister RajKumar Chauhan said.

Chauhan on Monday inspected progress of work of various road infrastructure projects and instructed officials to speed up work. He also inspected construction of a grade separator and an under pass at Azadpur.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit also held a meeting with top officials of various departments to asses progress of work on various projects linked to the Games.

Chauhan said the grade separator and the under pass at Azadpur would substantially improve the traffic flow during the Commonwealth Games.

The main flyover in the area was inaugurated last year and now a grade separator is being constructed at the Azadpur intersection.

Officials said over 13,000 vehicles pass through the intersection per hour during morning and evening peak time.

The new grade separator at Azadpur would provide signal-free traffic movement for straight traffic on Ring Road and Mall Road, Chouhan said.

He said the new grade separator would prove to be beneficial to large number of commuters and vehicle owners not only from Delhi but also from neighbouring states.

CWG nearing, MCD work near stadia yet to speed up

With the capital set to host the Commonwealth Games in just a few months, the MCD has completed only an average six per cent of work of strengthening and streetscaping of roads leading to key venues and stadia.

The status report of Games-related projects also show that just about 15 per cent work has been done so far in upgrading areas around hotels and guest houses in Paharganj area.

However, MCD officials as well as Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain voiced confidence that all projects will be completed by June this year. The civic body has also set up a committee to monitor the pace of work on a regular basis.

The corporation is carrying out improvement, streetscaping and strengthening of four roads around the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main Games venue. Officials said 5.5 per cent work has been completed in Bhishma Pitamah Marg, Lodhi Road (Nizamuddin roundabout-India Habitat Centre stretch), connecting road from 5th Avenue to JLN Stadium and the Mehar Chand Market-Kushak Nallah stretch of 5th Avenue.

In improvement of Shooting Range Road and Suraj Kund Road near Karni Singh Shooting Range, 5.5 per cent work has been done. Work progress is six per cent in two roads adjoining Thyagraj Stadium and two roads near R K Khanna Tennis Stadium.

The MCD was also to construct a foot overbridge near JLN Stadium for which work is yet to start.

In improvement and strengthening of roads near Chhatrasal Stadium and university area, work is on progress in construction of drainage and footpaths but most of the other components of the project are yet to be taken up.

The civic agency is also carrying out redevelopment of areas near hotels and guest houses in Karol Bagh, Paharganj and City Zone, which includes underground ducting of cables, improving public utilities, central verges and footpaths as well as beautification.

Officials said in seven major roads in Paharganj on an average 15 per cent work has been completed while among 56 internal roads and lanes, work is yet to start in 19.

In another Rs 1.58 crore project related to improving and repairing existing urinals, work is yet to take off. Work has been completed in only one urinal in Qutub Road and is yet to start in 43 other sites, they said.

The MCD is, however, confident of completing all projects by June. “We have set up a committee comprising leader of the house, leader of opposition, chairman of standing committee and senior officials to monitor the pace of projects, which is sitting at least once a month,” Mayor Sain said.

All wired up for the Games

A policeman sitting at the police headquarters near ITO in central Delhi will be able to see the person entering the Commonwealth Games Village in east Delhi, five kilometres away.

That’s not all.

The cop will also be able to see every vehicle entering the city, a shopper at Karol Bagh market, a motorist on Parliament Street and all of them at one go.

If there is a threat anywhere in Delhi, the information will be fed into the system.

They will be colour coded in red, yellow and green based on the severity of the threat and will flash on screens.

Delhi Police are all set to install giant screens at a new center for command, control, coordination and communication called C4i.

The centre would be linked with cameras installed at 58 markets, 27 border check posts, 1,000 police control room (PCR) vans, 12 police video monitoring vehicles, 700 traffic vehicles and two city hotels.

“The live feed from the cameras would be displayed at the C4i centre. Any untoward movement or emergency would be spotted by the policeman sitting at the centre and relayed to the local police for necessary action,” said a police officer.

“If there is a stampede at a market, the cop would make announcements on the public address system from the centre and control the situation. This is before additional force can be rushed in,” he said.

The centre will be equipped with three 32 inch LCD screens and two 46 inch LCD screens. In all, there would be 88 screens at the centre covering the city.

“The centre would be operational before the Games,” said Rajan Bhagat, spokesman, Delhi Police.

Samrat Hotel and Hotel Ashok in Chanakyapuri, which are the official games hotel will also be linked to this centre.

“The movement of all the players and dignitaries will be monitored through this centre,” said the officer.

To Attract Foreign Tourists 50% visa fee waiver as an Incentive

Taking a leaf out of its slogan ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’, the tourism ministry is likely to waive off 50% of the visa fee charged from visitors of Commonwealth nations as an incentive to boost foreign tourist arrivals. This is part of its effort to incentives tourism to India for the Commonwealth Games to be held in October.

“We are considering a proposal to waive off 50% of the visa fee. The expense will be borne by the tourism ministry,” a source said. The move comes after the positive response to ‘Visit India 2009’ promotion where major stakeholders like hospitality partners, tour operators and others had offered schemes and promotions in addition to what the visitor paid for. The visa fee waiver will supplement the promotions and the ministry is already in talks with hotels, travel agents and tour operators for extending these incentives for another year.

There are 54 members of the Commonwealth of nations of which visitors from UK, Australia and Canada form a large part of India’s tourist inflow. India received 5.11 million tourists of which 0.5 million come from Commonwealth nations.

Hospitality: 2.03 lakh trained professionals, needed!

If you love to look after people, bring a smile to their faces, cook them a nice dish, and give them an experience to remember, then the hospitality industry may be the place for you. Every year, there's a need for 2.03 lakh professionals in the industry, says the Ministry of Tourism but only 18,000 hospitality graduates pass out, annually. Clearly there's a dearth of skilled professionals in this sector. With the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and several international hotel chains such as Carlson, Starwood, Accor and Marriott coming to India, both opportunity and exposure in hospitality is going to be staggering.

This sector is essentially divided into four broad functions: Food Production, where food is designed and created, Food & Beverage Service (F&B), where the guests' needs are looked after in a restaurant or in an office cafeteria, Front Office, that welcomes guests and tries to make their stay as hassle-free as possible and Housekeeping, where the staff sees that you feel at home in your room. In fact, the wellness industry that includes spa and fitness, is also becoming a popular service in hospitality.

Front Office, in demand
Food Production, where chefs work in smoky, steamy rooms was once a big attraction for many young people wanting to join the industry. But now young people prefer Front Office jobs and F&B service to Food Production. "Fifty-five percent of our students went for Front Office jobs," says DD Sharma, head of department, Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Delhi. This tilt towards Front Office and F&B is because of the ample opportunities that are present in the service sector.

Soft skills acquired by Front Office executives such as communication and managerial skills also double up as skills required in customer relations, business development, human resource function, sales and marketing. In fact, banks, hospitals, telecom and BPOs are recruiting hotel management graduates in large numbers, says Anita Sharma, senior faculty and placement coordinator, IHM, Catering & Nutrition, New Delhi. Over the years, hospitality has extended beyond hotels and restaurants and has become integral to the service sector.

There's also the incentive of better salaries and a less strenuous working schedule. Food Production is labour-intensive points out Mr Sharma of IHM. Sameer Sharma, a hotel management (HM) graduate, agrees. "There are heavy crates to be picked, sacks of onions and potatoes to be carted, and working hours could stretch to 12 to 16 hours a day." On the other hand, Front Office has regulated working hours and industries such as telecom and banking, pay well.

Where's the money?
Although chefs and general managers are paid in lakhs, a fresh HM graduate may have to start with a leaner package. NS Bhuie, director, Studies, National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology, admits that the pay is average. Fresh HM graduates, as management trainees get a stipend between Rs 7,000 to Rs 15,000, which goes up to Rs 26,000 after the completion of the training at a hotel, which is usually two years. In comparison, industries like BPOs pay a fatter take-home to fresh graduates, says a recruiter.

"Forty per cent of students who do hotel management join other service industries," says Sudhir Andrews, dean, Ecole H teli re Lavasa, a hospitality management institute in Pune. Hotels are already feeling the pinch, he says. But a senior manager at one of the top Delhi hotels says that salaries have gone up by more than 60 per cent in the past few years.

Long working hours
Hospitality is a round-the-clock function; it's a 24x7, 365 days-a-year job. In fact, when the whole nation is off on August 15, the hospitality industry is buzzing, says Ashima Sukhani, public relation executive of ITC Hotels. And as room service and coffee shop kitchens are open 24 hours, working hours go up to 18 hours. But KS Srinivasan, vice-president, HR, Taj, Mumbai, doesn't see working long hours as a drawback at all. "Just look at the experience you get after working in this industry for two years. You get scrubbed and polished and after two years you shine!"

Manager or waiter?
While hotel management institutes prepare students for a managerial role, the industry wants to hire them as waiters. Both sides have their arguments. Jay Rathore, general manager, The Oberoi, New Delhi, says that while he picks graduates, they start at the staff level. "People expect to do managerial or supervisory jobs right away, but I ask them 'are they prepared to manage 25 people?' With no experience how can you lead 25 people, how can those 25 people look up to you for career and advice?" While the industry needs people with managerial qualities, it's only after a few years that young graduates can step into that role. "People have to walk in with the right attitude."

In this week-long series, we will look at the opportunities in the Hospitality industry -- Front Office, Food Production, Food & Beverage, Housekeeping and Wellness -- and how you should go about plotting your career.

DUAC tells NDMC to remove pink & purple wrap

Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) has asked New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to remove the purple and pink wrap around the Commonwealth Games headquarter building in Connaught Place. The wrap had been described by the Games organising committee (OC) as a "branding exercise".

As reported by TOI in September 2009, the building wrap was seen as an act of "vandalism" by the architect of the building, Kuldip Singh. Singh had said that the colours used and the method of branding is an affront to the aesthetics of the city, a fact other urban planners and architects had agreed with.

DUAC chairman K T Ravindran said: "We had written a letter to NDMC a while back to remove the wall wrap as it serves no purpose. The building was designed keeping a specific purpose in mind and the wall wrap is like a blemish on it. No such thing has been seen anywhere else in the world. Since the wall wrap is a sticker, it can be removed easily. NDMC is yet to act." NDMC spokesman Anand Tiwari, when contacted, said that he was not aware of the letter.

OC spokesman Lalit Bhanot said: "We are the tenants of the building. The building is owned by NDMC so it is for them to take action. We have not been informed about any DUAC order to this effect." Singh had written a letter to the organising committee, Commonwealth Games on this matter on March 6, 2009, besides registering his protest with the New Delhi Municipal Council. When he did not get a response from either agency he approached DUAC in November 2009.

Singh said: "No action has been taken in the matter. I don’t know if NDMC has succeeded in communicating the orders to the organising committee, which has covered the walls from top to bottom with garish colours in the name of Games logo."