Look forward to a power-surplus summer this year

The Delhi government plans to go on a drill mode of sorts to ensure smooth power supply this summer keeping in mind the Commonwealth Games, which are barely eight months away.

The ensuing summer months are the last chance before the Games to check the preparedness of the Capital’s power supply apparatus — so often caught napping in times of crisis.

“We will keep a close watch on the power scenario this summer because it is the only scope to understand our real-time preparedness for the Games before the actual event. We have communicated to the discoms about the same,” said Delhi Power Secretary Rajendra Kumar.

This year will be the first time when the perennially power-starved Delhi will see a glut of power thanks to the availability of power from all the major long-term generation plants.

In other words, the chances of power cuts due to inadequate power in the system could well be a thing of the past. Until, of course, the demand catches up.

By July, NTPC’s gas-based 980 MW Dadri plant will be commissioned. Delhi is supposed to get around 800 of that.

Delhi’s own Bawana power plant will start generating around the same time. It will start with one of the six units. A unit will be commissioned every alternate month.

There will be around 400 MW from West Bengal’s Damodar Valley. A 250 MW unit will start at Jhajjar, Haryana.

“We expect the total availability to go up to 4800 MW,” Kumar said.

The government has asked the discoms to keep a minimum of 10 per cent increase from last year’s peak power demand while arranging for this summer.

The usual rate of increase from last year, however, is around 8 per cent.

With the commissioning of 400 MW from one of the NTPC’s Dadri units in January end, discoms are having to either bank a huge amount of surplus power or sell cheap since the demand in Delhi is low.

“We had arranged for power assuming the Dadri unit will once again fail its deadline. But since it could meet the deadline, we are now awash with additional power,” said a senior discom official who did not wish to be named.

“We are banking power now. As far as the summer months are concerned, we are absolutely prepared,” said Gopal Saxena, CEO, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, the largest discom.

Don't visit India, Qaeda terrorist tells sportspersons

Kashmiri militant Ilyas Kashmiri has reportedly warned the international community against sending sportspersons to India participate in events like the IPL and Commonwealth Games.

Asia Times Online claimed the top guerrilla commander, whose 313 Brigade is an operational arm of the Al Qaeda, has vowed to continue attacks across India, while threatening international sportspersons to face the consequences if they chose to visit the country.

"We warn the international community not to send their people to the 2010 Hockey World Cup, IPL and Commonwealth Games. Nor should their people visit India -- if they do, they will be responsible for the consequences," it said.

The message that was delivered to the Asia Times Online, comes after the Pune bomb blast that claimed 9 lives, but does not specifically claim responsibility for the incident.

"The message does not specifically claim responsibility for the bombing, but implies the brigade's involvement," the news portal said in a story from Islamabad .

The group vowed to continue attacks across India. Kashmiri is believed to have directed Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative David Headley while the latter was planning the terror mission in Mumbai.

All projects to be completed before Commonwealth Games: Chauhan

PWD Minister Rajkumar Chauhan today said his department was fully alert and prepared to complete all its projects before the beginning of the Common Wealth Games.

Mr Chauhan, who visited the construction sites of Apsara Border flyover, directed all agencies concerned to work in tandem to ensure commissioning of projects at the earliest. He further directed the Railways and PWD officers to resolve critical issues relating to land acquisition, tree cutting and traffic diversion etc. The Minister, who was accompanied by PWD ENC Rakesh Mishra and Project Manager concerned and many other senior engineers, assured that PWD would maintain quality and try to live up to the expectation of the people. After inspecting the construction work going on at all the projects, Mr Chauhan told mediapersons that the three layer Grade Separator being built at GT Road Junction at Apsara Border would cost Rs 226 crore.

The GT road at Apsara Border caters to large volume of traffic from ISBT to UP and vice versa. The construction of flyover on the road has been proposed to relief to the traffic on both sides. Flyover would help the traffic movement from Delhi and Ghaziabad. There is a proposal to build three lanes Grade Seperator at this crossing. Of 645-meter long flyover, about 300 meter portion grade separator will be in UP. Apart from this, two Vehicular Underpass have been constructing alogn road no 62 and 56 to provide direct access to the traffic Dilshad Garden to ISBT Anand Vihar. A 860-meter long underpasses below the Delhi-Ghaziabd Railway line will also be built for which Push Boxes have been proposed under the Railway line. About 70 per cent of the work on this project has been completed and the main flyover will open in April for commuters while its two underpasses, which are under construction, would be ready by June 2010.

Mr Chauhan said the all Commonwealth Games related projects would be completed within stipulated time as constant monitoring is being done to accelerate the pace of work.

Commonwealth Games: Spas, gyms to get ratings

To ensure better standards in the wellness services, gymnasiums, spas and other such centres running in the capital will soon be rated on the basis of their quality ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

The National Accreditation Board For Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), a constituent board of Quality Council of India, has started the process of bringing fitness centres under the grading system.

According to NABH, all gymnasiums, spas, skincare centres, cosmetic care centres, fitness centres and immunisation centres are eligible to get accreditation.

“All wellness centres can fill application form and our specially constituted committee subjected to satisfactory inspection of the facility will give them a certificate of quality services,” said Girdhar J Gyani, Secretary General, Quality Council of India.

He said with the lack of any guidelines and standards in the field and mushrooming of unorganised players, accreditation of wellness centres will be a guiding light for the industry in improving the quality of care provided to the general public.

The accreditation programme in Delhi is expected to be completed before the Commonwealth Games.

“Initially, we decided to limit rankings to the national capital. But now we have decided to extend this project to all over the country and priority will be given to places which are expected to get maximum visitors during the Commonwealth Games,” said Gyani.

The certification will be initially for three years and will be done by the officers of the accredited agencies, to be selected by QCI.

The initiative, officer say, is getting good support from all the gyms and spas owners.

Gyani said “the standards focus on all aspects of service delivery like customer rights and education, infection control practices, trained and experienced staff, infrastructure, environment, safety, statutory and regulatory compliances.”

Adequate security before Commonwealth Games: Lt Governor

Allaying apprehensions in wake of Pune blast, Lt Governor of Delhi Tejindra Khanna on Monday said adequate security cover will be put in place in the city for the Commonwealth Games from October 3 to 14.

During a meeting with an Australian delegation, Khanna, who is looking after the security aspect of the Games in coordination with the Union Home Ministry, said foolproof security will be put in place ahead of the event.

He said the city was fully prepared to ensure adequate protection during the event as all possible measures were being taken by security agencies.

The Australian delegation was led by Speaker of Western Australia Assembly Grant Woodhams.

Over 9,000 athletes from 71 countries besides 100,000 international spectators are expected to visit the national capital during the event.

Centre to review security for upcoming sports events

The Centre has decided to review the security arrangements for four major sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games, to be held in India this year in wake of the Pune blast, the first major terror attack in the country in 14 months.The decision to review the already elaborate security arrangements for the World Cup Hockey beginning February 28, the Commonwealth Games, besides the Indian Premier League was taken as a result of the blast in the German Bakery in Pune's posh Koregaon Park, which killed nine people.

Home Ministry sources said the main concern is over World Hockey Championship as any terror incident in the run up to the event may lead to withdrawal of participating nations.

Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai said the government has put in place a very elaborate arrangement for the tournament.

"We are in close touch with security liason officers of all countries that are coming here to participate. So far, all of them have seen the preparations done by the Delhi Police and the MHA. They are quite satisfied," he said.

Pillai said the authorities would continue to alter or update these security measures in light of specific terror threats.

The Hockey World Cup will be spread over two weeks from February 28 to March 13. The tournament will see participation by 10 countries and around 400 players and delegates.

The hugely popular IPL cricket matches will be held between March 13 and April 25 and the Commonwealth Games will be held between October 3 and 14.

"It will be a big challenge for us to make the events incident-free. We are leaving no stone unturned and preparing in advance," an official who did not wish to be quoted said.

The Commonwealth Shooting Championship will also be held here between February 17 and 28 during which 1,000 athletes and officials from 30 countries will visit India.

The IPL matches are huge congregation of international cricket stars, Bollywood personalities, huge crowds and media making them a sitting duck for the terrorists.

The case is similar for the Commonwealth Games during which 9,000 athletes from 71 countries besides 100,000 international spectators are expected to visit the country.

Delhi schools to remain closed during CWG period in October

All the schools in the national capital will remain closed during the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi from October 3 to 14, chief minister Sheila Dikshit said on Monday.

Announcing the decision after a Cabinet meeting, she said the holiday period during Dusshera has been rescheduled so that students could enjoy the mega sporting event.

"We have made adjustments in the holiday period around Dusshera (October 17) to keep the schools closed during the Commonwealth Games," Dikshit told reporters.

"To make up for the extended holiday period around Dusshera, we have decided to cut down on the summer vacation," she said.

Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said the decision would also help in easing the heavy traffic during the Games period.

"Now the Autumn break will be for 17 days instead of the current nine days while we have decided to cut down on summer vacation by 12 days," Lovely said.

He said the winter vacation will be from December 25 to January 9, 2011.

Lovely said the number of total academic days in the current year will be 217 instead of last year's 215 days.

Commonwealth Games boss unworried by Pune bomb

Commonwealth Games officials are seeking more information from the government after Saturday's bombing in India renewed security fears ahead of the Delhi Commonwealth Games later this year.

Nine people were killed and 60 injured when a bomb exploded outside a restaurant in the west Indian city of Pune on Saturday.

The blast was the first terrorist attack on Indian soil since 2008.

"I have been in touch with foreign affairs this morning," CEO of The Australian Commonwealth Games Association Perry Crosswhite told AAP on Monday.

"We are renewing our request for information."

He said his concerns were not increased by the attack which has been linked to the Pakistani based Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group.

The Indian government has already announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($A4,828) to the families of those killed and 100,000 rupees to the injured.

Mr Crosswhite said the athletes would not face the same security risks faced by everyday tourists.

"All the areas where our team is going to be - the village, the airport - are all going to extremely secure."

The bomb, hidden in a backpack under a table, exploded at about 7.30pm on Saturday at the German Bakery restaurant, which is a magnet for young Indians and foreign tourists.

The eatery is near an Hindu ashram, or religious retreat, popular with overseas visitors and a Jewish cultural and religious centre run by the orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

Private intelligence firm Stratfor reported the explosive used was RDX, a military-grade explosive, mixed with ammonium nitrate.

"Both materials are relatively easy to acquire and are commonly used in attacks in India," Stratfor said.