Pakistan decides to send 75-strong contingent to Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010

Pakistan has decided to send a 75-member contingent to represent the country in the XIX Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi from October 3 to 14.

The Pakistan Commonwealth Games Association and Pakistan Olympic Association President Lt. Gen. Syed Arif Hasan told reporters after a general council meeting here on Thursday that due to lack of funds it was not possible to send athletes or players abroad to get high profile training prior to the Games.

“Pakistan will take part in athletics, swimming, boxing, hockey, squash, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling,” he said. “We have a fair chance to win medals in tennis, weightlifting, wrestling and hockey. (Tennis star) Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi has confirmed his participation and his presence will be a big inspiration for Pakistan as he is a medal prospect.”

Lt. Gen. Hasan said he was in touch with Sports Ministry to start preparations for the Games as Pakistan would also participate in the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, Asian Games in Guangzhou and Asian Beach Games in Muscat. “Preparations should be started as soon as possible as participation in these elite events is a challenging task and requires adequate training and grooming of players,” he said.

Terrorists vow to target 2010 Commonwealth Games in India

The terror group al-Qaida has come out and said this week that they will target the Commonwealth Games in India later this year.

And like other countries competing in the Commonwealth Games in October in New Delhi, Bermuda officials are concerned by the deadly threat.

The Asia Times published a message reportedly from guerrilla commander Ilyas Kashmiri, whose Kashmir-based 313 Brigade is an operational arm of al-Qaida. The message warns of potential attacks on the Hockey World Cup, the IPL cricket tournament and the Commonwealth Games.

"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," the Asia Times quoted a translated message as saying.

The message was not verified, but the Asia Times said it had interviewed the leader of the group previously.

Bermuda Olympic Association (BOA) president Judy Simons said yesterday: "That is not a comforting feeling."

Simons, who is still in Vancouver at the Winter Olympics, said that Bermuda's Chef de Mission for the Commonwealth Games, Stan Douglas, would be travelling to New Delhi next month for the Chefs' meeting.

"Obviously that will be the number one issue for conversation," she added.

John Hoskins, former head of the BOA and who is the vice president of the Americas region of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said yesterday: "Obviously since the Mumbai attack the word has gotten out that you have to be extremely careful for the Commonwealth Games - and they have put in all sorts of measures to keep the Games secure.

"The Commonwealth Games Federation themselves have hired a company to go there regularly and assess the capabilities of the security programmes put in place by the organisers. And they are very happy with the progress with the security which is being put in place."

Hoskins, who first represented Bermuda as an Olympic official at the 1972 Munich Olympics when Palestinian terrorists murdered Israeli athletes, said: "It (the threat of terror attacks at major Games) is one of those things. You are doing all you can and everybody involved are doing all they can (to protect the athletes and public) but once again you don't know if someone is going to come along with a bomb around his neck."

Hoskins did say that before the Commonwealth Games take place in October, the authorities will have the chance to test their security at a number of sports events.

"The Hockey World Cup will be taking place soon - that will be a good test of whether anyone is going to try and do something there. Also it will allow them to test a lot of other things like accreditation systems - to have the procedures in place to make sure that those accredited are the right people. It will be a very good run through before the Games. The IPL (cricket) will also have the same problems. There are a lot of sporting events before the Games and I don't see any reason why they should necessarily target the Commonwealth Games rather than the IPL."

This week during the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Shooting Championships - the first of many test events leading up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games - organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi did little to allay safety fears when he said in big events "security lapses were bound to happen."

Welcoming the Australian and the England team, who like many teams had security apprehensions in the light of al-Qaida's threat, Kalmadi said: "There would be some security lapse here and there but everybody would be safe. All the foreign athletes are very happy with the security."

India this week pledged tight security for upcoming sports events following the terrorist threats.

Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said India would not be deterred from hosting events.

"We are committed to provide security to everybody, including coaches, players, officials and whoever participates," Chidambaram said. "Nobody would be allowed to dictate terms to us."

But some athletes had second thoughts about competing in India after a bombing last Saturday night killed 11 people in a bakery popular with foreigners in the western city of Pune.

Australian cricket great Shane Warne said he was reconsidering playing in the IPL if the threats were proven to be credible.

Warne, who is set to leave later this month for India to captain and coach the Rajasthan Royals, said yesterday that the threat by Pakistani-based militants had him worried.

"The threats of the past 24 hours have certainly got me thinking twice and is of deep concern to athletes across a number of sports," Warne said.

He advised the organisers to consider moving the tournament if the threats are credible. South Africa hosted the Twenty20 IPL tournament last year due to safety concerns in India relating to a general election.

Recent al-Qa'ida threats force many players to reconsider going to India

The 2010 IPL competition is under siege, with the international players' association warning that some members will not attend and that many are concerned by al-Qa'ida threat.

Cricket authorities are worried that any difficulties with the Twenty20 competition will flow-on to the one-day series between Australia and India this year, the Champions League and ODI World Cup next year.

A terrorist organisation with al-Qa'ida links has warned foreign athletes to stay away from the hockey World Cup, the IPL and Commonwealth Games this year in India.

The IPL itself cannot afford another hitch after upsetting franchises and broadcasters last year when it was moved to South Africa after the government refused to guarantee adequate security because of general elections.

Head of the Federation of International Cricketers Association Tim May warned on the BBC yesterday that players were agitated by the threat.

"There is an extremely high level of concern from a number of players from a number of countries about the IPL and security," May said.

"I think you'll find that some players are more risk averse than others and will probably stay at home."

The situation in India appears to be deteriorating with Jaipur police claiming they have received credible intelligence relating to a terrorist threat directed at the one-day international between India and South Africa tomorrow.

"We had previously been advised by security experts that a high-profile event such as the IPL, leading up to the Commonwealth Games, may represent a significant target for terrorism," May said.

"It's obviously concerning, though not necessarily surprising, to hear about those specific threats.

"It's up to the individual players whether they go to the IPL. All we can gauge an opinion on is the number of concerned calls we have received in the last few weeks. Let's just say those calls are increasing by the day.

"Until that review is complete I'm not in a position to answer whether the security arrangements are adequate to cover the risks and I haven't seen any plans. A lot will ride on players' decisions after the delivery of this independent security report."

Early in the week May had condemned the arrogance of the IPL which, under instruction from the BCCI, will not deal with players' associations or directly provide them with security reports.

Australian players, like those in other parts of the world, are waiting on a report from their representatives.

Australian Cricketers Association chief executive Paul Marsh said Friday that the mention of al-Qa'ida had shaken his members.

"We still haven't received the report yet and once we get that we will obviously know what the next steps are," Marsh said.

"There is definitely a concern, not just with our players either.

"We are all working off the same consultants and the same reports but the fact that it is an al- Qa'ida threat is certainly concerning many."

Players are reluctant to express their concerns publicly as anyone who does incurs the wrath of their franchise or the IPL itself.

This week, Shane Warne said he was taking the threats seriously and speculated that the tournament may have to be moved.

He quickly retreated from that position and tournament chief Lalit Modi claimed the Rajasthan Royals player had been "misquoted".

Shaun Tait came out yesterday and said he was eager to attend.

"I've been very keen.

"The last couple of years I haven't been able to play, so I've been looking forward to the IPL this year and I hope it can go ahead," Tait said.

"All the security stuff, that's out of my league, but I hope it does go ahead and everything's fine and I can play.

Buea - Hommage to Commonwealth Wrestling Gold Medallist

Rebecca Mwambo Ndolo, beat an Indian to earn the gold for Cameroon at the Commonwealth Games in Jalandhar India last 17 December.

Twenty-five-year old Rebecca Mwambo Ndolo who won a gold medal for Cameroon in Free Wrestling at the Jalandhar ( India ) Commonwealth Games has been received in the South West Governor's office. Ndolo beat an Indian challenger on December 17, 2009 to win the gold. She hails from Bokwaongo-Buea and has been on the international wrestling scene since 1997 when she defeated a hefty boy to the amazement of the Buea population.

Receiving Ndolo on behalf of the Governor, the Secretary General, Peter Tieh Ndeh, urged other athletes to emulate her humility, performance and patriotism. The Secretary General was visibly impressed that the gold medallist was from his own jurisdiction.

Accompanied by the Bokwaongo elite including Mbwaye Moanga Emmanuel, her coach, Nganda Tonga Samuel, her parents Lydia and William Mwambo and the Regional Delegate of Sports and Physical Education, Abel Ekema; Ndolo received an ovation for her brilliant performance in India.

Ndolo is said to be taking after her father who was the Buea Wrestling champion in 1955. Before engaging in wrestling competitions she earned her First School Leaving Certificate in the Cameroon Baptist Convention Primary School Mutengene. She later enrolled into Government Technical High School Buea where she did building construction and later moved to the Cameroon OIC (Buea) where she obtained a diploma in building construction.

Yet, Rebecca Mwambo Ndolo brought what she calls problems to the Bakweri tribe because they did not permit women to wrestle or fight in public competitions. But she stood her grounds and was identified by her coach, Nganda Tonga , who started training her for international competitions. Ndolo won a gold medal in 1999 in Yaounde. In 2001, she dropped to a bronze in her own hometown, Buea. In Abuja, 2003, Ndolo won a bronze during the All-Africa-Games. The year 2005/2006 brought joy to Ndolo when she won two straight gold in national competitions in Yaounde and was offered a two-year CONFEJES scholarship to train in Tunisia. After training, she has participated and won battles in Algeria, Baku-Azerbaijan, Ankara (Turkey) and Haparanda (Sweden).

Take your beggars back, 10 states told

The Delhi government wants the streets clear of beggars for the Commonwealth Games in October. And it’s come up with a plan: since most beggars are from outside the city, it wants them repatriated to their home states.

The government has sent letters to the chief secretaries of 10 states, asking them to take back the beggars.

“The letters have been sent... This will be done ahead of the Games,” said Manoj Paridha, secretary, social welfare, Delhi government.

Though comprehensive data is missing, a sample survey in August 2009 of 11 shelters — capacity 2,018 — run by the Delhi government revealed that most outstation beggars came from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. That month, of the 1,518 beggars rounded up by the Delhi Police anti-begging squad, 1,099 were from outside the city.

Letters were sent on February 12 to West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh too.

“Most of the beggars said Delhi gave them a better opportunity,” said a social welfare department official.

“Even if they begged for two days, they earned for the entire week,” he added.

“So far, we’ve received a response from only West Bengal. They have asked us for details of the beggars and what needs to be done,” said the official.

“We will take a final decision after we get all the responses and get our survey done,” he added.

“Why should we go back to our home state? We have been living here for many years,” said Sushila (35), a native of Jodhpur who begs at the Tolstoy Marg-Janpath crossing.

“There is not even a drop of water to drink back home,” she added.

“I was born here. We have not been told about any such order,” said Noora (12), who hails from Bihar.

Railways and MCD spar over Minto Bridge

The Northern Railway’s plan to add two more tracks to and widen the the historic Minto Bridge will now miss the Commonwealth Games deadline due to a dispute with the MCD.

Anand Swaroop, PRO, Northern Railways said the decision to de-link the project from the Games was “unanimous”. As per plan, the MCD and NDMC were supposed to redevelop and widen the areas under their respective jurisdiction.

However, MCD claims that although most part of the project remains on paper, the civic agency has already completed most work under its jurisdiction.

Northern Railways and the NDMC however, have not carried out any work under their jurisdiction so far, due to delay in getting requisite permissions.

8 months to go, OC floats fresh tenders for caterers

With only eight months to go for the Commonwealth Games, the organizing committee is finally looking beyond venues and consistently missed deadlines. It has now floated a tender to look for caterers for not only the Games Village but also for the various venues, including Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. And if the initial response is anything to go by, the OC may finally be getting something right.

Lalit Bhanot, spokesperson for the OC, said, "Earlier last year, the OC had chosen a caterer for the Games Village. However, it was felt that with only one quotation coming in, it wasn't the best decision to choose that firm. Instead, we preferred to float fresh tenders."

The decision, however, has drawn criticism from within the OC. Sources in the OC confirmed that a decision on selecting the firm as master caterer for the Games would only be taken in late March, after the technical and commercial bids were studied.

"Thereafter, it will take another three-four months for the kitchens to be set up and the menus to be finalized. It's a time consuming process," said a senior OC official. With venue operations schedules going off-track due to construction delays, sources said setting up of the catering, a major component of the venue operations, needed to be in place. "It's not just catering at the Games Village but also at sports venues and the designated accommodations that have been earmarked for the delegates. The logistics involved are huge," added the source.

The late decision to go in for floating fresh tenders, added sources, could only delay the function.

For Bhanot though, it doesn't seem to be a worry. "The response to our re-tendering has been very good. By July, the logistics will be in place and this will give plenty of time to prepare for the Games," added Bhanot.

Incidentally, the caterers for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne were chosen more than a year in advance. "There is time. It's not that we are looking for food to be made for a thousand-strong contingent from tomorrow," added Bhanot. While that may be debatable, the fact remains that OC's efforts to get its accommodation plans in place have also been lagging behind. Neither the DDA flats nor the hotels are ready even as its venue planning refuses to get off the ground.

Desi farms toil for Games gourmet

When the Commonwealth Games unfold in August, India’s farms will partly power the on-field spectacle.

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) is pulling off an ambitious plan to dish up a global but locally grown fare for participants from 71 countries.

And the rigour starts right at the farms. Nearly 500 farmers in select farms of Rajasthan, Haryana, UP, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are growing the choicest of food articles for a multi-cuisine menu.

These include celery, lettuce, Brussels sprout, broccoli, brown and green cabbage, sweet and baby corn, bell tomatoes, beans and Mediterranean greens.

Salads are a special focus area, as are “halal” farm products for Muslim guests.

The produce will have to be pretty and just right for cordon bleu recipes.

So, IARI’s food scientists are monitoring the cultivation and growers following textbook guidelines.

Instead of chemicals, biogas slurry is being used as pesticide.

“The idea is to provide everything that may be demanded of us, clean and safe,” IARI director H.S. Gupta said. The farmers were brought together through a cooperative venture led by the IARI, a premier state-run institution.

Food scientist J.B.S. Dabbas said the co-operative would continue beyond the Games, empowering farmers and consumers alike.

Kenyan shooter’s heart beats for India

Shaminderpal Singh Madhar is the archetypal Sikh. But it comes as a surprise when he introduces himself as a third generation Indian settled in Nairobi. Simply put, Madhar, whose grandfather migrated to Kenya in 1897, has not forgotten his roots despite coming to India just once in 2005.

Here as a competitor in the Commonwealth Shooting Championships, the one-man ‘Kenyan squad’ says he is on a mission. “I want to shoot the Minimum Qualification Score so that I can come again for the Commonwealth Games (in October),” says Madhar, a 49-year-old 10m air pistol shooter and an IT professional.

“I captained the Kenyan national shooting team to the All-African Games in Cairo, but coming here is a different experience. The kind of shooters India has, gives me motivation. I remember shooting alongside Jaspal Rana at the 2000 Commonwealth Championships in Bisley (England) and that encouraged me,” says Madhar whose grandfather migrated from Lyallpur (now in Pakistan).

"We don't have a big set-up back home but recently we've constructed a small 10m range with the help of the Kenya Regiment Rifle Club. It's the only club there. The government support is minimum as we are only given assistance for the Commonwealth Games and Olympics. We have to sponsor ourselves for the rest of the events.

“I was motivated to come to Delhi for the championship by India coach Deep Bhatia, who is now the sports manager for the event,” says Madhar, adding that being the only competitor from his country does not deter him from facing the field boldly.

On this, wife, Rajinder Kaur, chipped in, “Har Sikh sawa lakh ke barabar hai (A Sikh is equivalent to a lakh and more).”

Playing only a few tournaments is Saina's strategy for season

India's badminton sensation Sania Nehwal has decided to play in select tournaments this season as she wants to prepare better for the Asian Badminton Championship and the Commonwealth Games, to be held later this year.

Saina has already pulled out of next month's Swiss Open Super Series to concentrate on training.

"This year I will play very few tournaments because I want to be fit for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Badminton championship. It would need a lot of time to work hard so I would cut down the number of tournaments," said Saina, who along with the team left tonight for the Uber Cup in Thailand.

"Two tournaments in a month would be the mantra but it will always be a last minute decision. I had sent my entries for the Swiss Open but I have decided to skip that. I will play according to how I feel before the tournaments.”

"This year I am not even worried about the ranking because CWG and ABC are more important. I will look to just win against the bigger opponents and I haven't thought much about the number one position," the Hyderabadi added.

Saina will spearhead Indian challenge in the Uber Cup starting from Monday but the world number seven said the onus to come up with a good performance in on all the players.

"It's very tough but we will try our best. We have put a lot of hard work. But it doesn't depend only on me, it is a team event so others also have to perform."

Countries satisfied with security for World Cup Hockey

Countries participating in the World Cup Hockey tournament in New Delhi were on Friday impressed with the security arrangements made for the event with Pakistan showering praises saying "very good planning" has been done.

Players and hockey associations had apprehensions about the security for the event after HuJI chief Ilyas Kashmiri issued a threat to foreign players asking them stay away from sporting events in India like the hockey tournament, Commonwealth Games and Indian Premier League (IPL).

Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal and Special Commissioner Neeraj Kumar made a presentation on the security apparatus before representatives of the 11 foreign countries which were participating in the mega event.

"We are satisfied. We had concerns on two or three areas. The Commissioner has assured that they will be addressed. Delhi Police had done very good planning," Pervez Bhandari from Pakistan told reporters after the presentation.

Rana Mujahid, a member of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, said all their concerns were addressed and they were satisfied with arrangements at the hotel and Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium near India Gate where the event is being held.

The Australian delegation also expressed similar views with Deputy High Commissioner Lacklan Starhn saying that they were "very pleased" with the comprehensive security arrangements being made for the event.

"Proper assurances have been given. We are very pleased with the arrangements," Starhn said.

Sources said Dadwal and Kumar briefed the representatives from various countries about the four-tier security structure for the venue.

They are also understood to have told the delegation that around 19,000 police personnel, including 200 sharpshooters from the National Security Guards, will be deployed for the security.

The members visited the stadium and the five-star hotel where the players will be staying.

Besides India and Pakistan, Hockey majors like Germany, Britain and Australia are among the 12 teams fighting for the championship.

The World Cup Hockey is being considered as a "dress rehearsal" for Delhi Police ahead of the Commonwealth Games in putting in place a security apparatus and planning traffic for the mega event.

Taking no chance, the city police has chalked out an elaborate security and traffic plan for the event which will be held from February 28 to March 13.

Over 100 CCTVs will be installed in and around Dhyan Chand stadium during the World Cup to keep a track on the movement of spectators, the official said.

While 75 CCTVs will be fixed cameras, 30 will be Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras with night vision and recording facility, the official added.

Armed policemen will accompany hockey players in their team buses which will take them from their hotel to the stadium to ensure fool proof security, the sources said.

The buses which will pick up the players from Le Meridian Hotel, where they will be staying, will also have a police escort for their nearly two-kilometre journey to the stadium.

Pini is guest speaker at awards

Commonwealth Games swimming champion, Ryan Pini of Papua New Guinea, will be the guest speaker at the FASANOC Sports Awards on March 6.

The 28-year-old from Port Moresby won the 100m butterfly atthe 2006 Commonwealth Games, and in 2008 he became the first PNG swimmer ever to reach an Olympic final.

Pini is a two-time Olympic swimmer, having also represented PNG in Athens 2004. He was the PNG flag bearer in 2008.

Pini was ranked number one in the world in the 100m butterfly after his victory at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, a ranking he held for 4 months.

Pini was named Papua New Guineas Sportsman of the Year Award in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and won the Male Swimmer of the Meet honours at the 2003 South Pacific Games, where he won 7 events, 4 with new Games Records

While Pini grew up in Papua New Guinea, he trains in Brisbane, Australia under coach Rick VanDerZant.

The FASANOC Sports Awards will be held at the Holiday Inn, Suva. Tickets to the event are on sale through FASANOC for $30 each. Tickets include dinner, a drink on arrival and a night of entertainment.

Businessman found guilty over death of top Irish cyclist Commonwealth Games medallist

A smiling Michael Croome strolled into Antrim courthouse yesterday morning. A few hours later the smile had disappeared as he was convicted by a jury of killing top Irish road racing cyclist David McCall by dangerous driving.

Croome’s actions on August 12 2008, as he rushed to catch a flight at Belfast International Airport, have devastated two families.

Mr McCall’s two daughters broke down in tears as the jury delivered their verdict. Sitting just a few seats behind them, Croome’s mother and sister also wept at the decision, which took the jury almost two days to reach.

Mr McCall (46), a Commonwealth Games medallist, was on a cycle race when his bike was hit by the black 308 Peugeot car being driven by Croome. The jury heard the car was driving at between 40mph and 50mph.

He died almost instantly. During the trial the court heard that Croome hit the Lisburn-based cyclist as he veered his bike slightly to avoid a dog during the Co Antrim inter-club cycle race.

The jury also heard that following the impact between Mr McCall's cycle and Croome's overtaking Peugeot car, the bicycle was snapped in two and Mr McCall was thrown into the air.

However, while the site of the actual impact is unknown, a forensic expert estimated that he could have been thrown anywhere from almost 60m to nearly 90m after bouncing off the windscreen of the Peugeot.

Mr McCall, who had represented Northern Ireland at major international competitions for years, was racing with a group of cyclists along the Belfast Road at Nutts Corner when he was struck by Croome, who was driving too fast and too close to the racing cyclists. His bicycle was broken in two and he was thrown into the air. Croome, who was rushing to catch a flight from Belfast International Airport, initially did not stop, but returned a short time later to the scene of the crash.

Mr McCall’s tragic death sent shockwaves through the international cycling community and tributes were paid to him from fellow sportsmen across the world.

Croome, a former call centre worker, is from Prior Wharf, Chester, but had an address on Belfast’s Cliftonville Road at the time of the crash. He denied causing Mr McCall’s death by dangerous driving. However, he was convicted yesterday after a jury of 10 men and two women reached a majority verdict.

The jury deliberated for almost two days and on Wednesday evening, when they failed to reach a unanimous verdict, Judge Norman Lockie told them he would accept a majority verdict. Yesterday, after requesting clarifications from the judge about the case, 10 of the jurors finally found Croome guilty.

The 26-year-old looked nervous as he sat in the dock with his head in his hands waiting for the jurors to enter the courtroom. Dressed smartly in a grey suit, he kept glancing towards his mother and sister who had flown to Northern Ireland from England to attend the trial. Mr McCall’s family held hands as they awaited the verdict. When the jury foreman told the court they found the defendant guilty Croome rubbed his face with his hands and shook his head.

He then mumbled to himself and put his head in his hands, while his mother and sister began to sob.

Mr McCall’s two daughters breathed a sigh of relief before they broke into tears.

The court was told that Croome has a number of previous motoring convictions, which the defence had wanted to introduce as bad character evidence during the trial, but the application was denied.

His defence barrister said that Croome is a businessman with a number of retail outlets in England, Scotland and Wales and he will now have to make arrangements to “put his house in order”, and asked Judge Lockie to postpone sentencing until a pre-sentence report could be produced to the court.

Croome looked relieved when Judge Lockie agreed to release him on continuing bail until March 25, when he will be sentenced. The judge, however, warned him that the granting of bail “was not of any significance to the ultimate sentence to be passed by the court”. The judge also decided not to immediately disqualify Croome from driving saying that “his business interests may be impeded”.

Mr McCall’s family were led from the court before Croome was released from the dock. They held hands and quietly wept as they left the courtroom. The family said they were still too upset to talk about the case or the verdict.

As Croome walked from the courtroom with his mother and sister he could be heard saying: “What was that all about?” Pulling his suit jacket over his head to try and hide his face, he was ushered out a side entrance of the courthouse to avoid the cameras. His smile had gone.

Eye on Commonwealth Games: English language, manners training for Delhi Transport Corporation staff

In an effort to add value to the visitors' experience in public transport during the Commonwealth Games this year, Delhi Government has decided to train the conductors and drivers of low-floor bus fleet on helping and guiding the tourists.

The Transport department of the city government has already started an English speaking course for drivers and conductors of Delhi Transport Corporation so that they could at least answer the basic queries of the foreign tourists.

"We have conceived the training programmes for DTC conductors and bus drivers to add value addition to the experience of the foreign tourists," transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said.

He said the drivers and conductors of the DTC will be the "ambassadors of the city" as they will have to guide the visitors on many aspects.

The Government has already entered into an arrangement with Confederation of Indian Industries on imparting training to the DTC staff on soft skills like welcoming a guest and other basic manners.

"We are putting a lot of efforts on training the DTC staff besides modernising the entire bus fleet," Lovely said.

The DTC, which runs the world's largest fleet of CNG buses, has already finalised an attractive uniform for the drivers and conductors for the event.

As part of its modernisation plan, the DTC has already procured over 1,000 low floor buses and has placed orders to procure 3,500 more such buses ahead of the Commonwealth Games to held from October 3 to 14.

The DTC plans to have a fleet of 4,500 low-floor and semi-low floor buses during the sporting event.

The DTC has also started changing the colour of its old buses, to make them look brighter.

As part of its transport modernisation plan, the government is also working on a bus cluster project under which nearly 650 bus routes across the city are being divided into 17 clusters, each comprising profitable and non- profitable routes on which private operators will run their buses.

The scheme involves replacement of existing blue-line buses by buses run by private operators.

Australia satisfied with India's security measures

Australia Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has expressed satisfaction with the securitymeasures for foreign athletes during this year's sporting events in India in the wake of the recent terror threat by a millitant group.

Smith, who met Indian authorities last year to review Commonwealth Games' security arrangements, also said that not a single sporting event anywhere in the world was free from security scare in the current scenario.

"I was satisfied then and I'm satisfied now that all of the necessary co-ordination and consultation continues to occur and, of course, we are deeply interested in those arrangements," Smith was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press, a news agency here.

"It is a very regrettable fact of the modern era that there are always the risk of security risks in major sporting events, whether they're conducted in Australia, the Sydney Olympics or the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, or whether they're conducted in India," he said.

Smith said the Australian government would continue to update the national sporting federations about the security situation in India.

"The Australian government's position is very well understood by the sporting community," he said.

"We make available to the sporting teams and the sporting associations, all of our up-to-date travel and security advice and assessments ... whether sporting teams or individuals take part is entirely a matter for them."

Australians are participating in the ongoing Commonwealth Shooting Championship in Delhi and have committed themselves to the hockey World Cup in the Indian capital from February 28.

The fresh concerns over athletes' safety in India arose after HuJI chief and al-Qaida commander Ilyas Kashmiri warned of terror attacks on foreign players visiting India during this month's hockey World Cup, the Indian Premier League and the Commonwealth Games to be held from October 3-14.

Gardeners to get specialized training

The unsung maalis of NDMC will soon turn into trained professionals with the civic body planning a school for them. This will be a part of several innovative measures in the run up to the Commonwealth Games to add to the splendor of green cover under its area.

School of Gardening

The civic body is setting up a ‘school’ for updating the skills of 1,100 gardeners through a variety of basic and advanced-level courses. NDMC plans to rope in botanists and horticulture experts from Pusa Institute, Forest Research Institute and National Botanical Research Institute to train the gardeners in plant preservation, nursery management, soil science etc.

Said Subhash Chandra, director, horticulture, ‘‘We have sent our gardeners for interactions with experts to different organizations in the past. But now we will have our own training ground. Gardeners will get a certificate on completion of the course.’’ The school may also open its doors to all those interested in gardening.

Commonwealth Park

A plant from each country participating in Commonwealth Games will be planted in this park coming up at Africa Avenue on a 2.5acre land. Work has already started on this project costing Rs 92.22 lakh and will be completed by August. The park will comprise lawns, wooded area and hedges, shrubs, flowerbeds, Lilypond, footpath, benches and other essential amenities for visitors. NDMC chairperson Parimal Rai said: ‘‘We have written to the Organizing Committee to arrange plants from each of the 72 countries. The plant should survive Delhi’s climatic condition or else we will ask participating countries to suggest a plant which is locally available.’’

OC spokesperson Lalit Bhanot said: ‘‘Members of participating countries are coming to Delhi for a conference on March 8. We have requested them to bring a plant with them.’’

Bougainvillea Garden

To add a dash of color to its greens, NDMC has proposed to set up a garden full of different types of Bougainvillea in Chanakyapuri near the Singapore Embassy. Bougainvillea, which is believed to have its origins in Brazil, will certainly add to NDMC’s landscape. ‘‘We will try and procure as many varieties ofBougainvillea as possible. We are also thinking of contacting the Bougainvillea Society of India for setting up the garden,’’ said Chandra.

Flower Park at Nehru Park

A section of Nehru Park will be developed into a flower park which will have seasonal flowering plants of winter, spring, summer and autumn as well as perennial flowering shrubs. Work has already started on this project.