Fashion Council lends support to Delhi 2010

India's apex fashion body, the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) has come out to support the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi.

Along with the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, FDCI unveiled a graffiti wall at the ongoing India Fashion Week here, with several designers writing their wishes for the Games on it.

“All the best,” wrote designers Parvesh-Jai. “Good luck,” wrote Niharika while Charu Parashar write “The Games rock.”

“The FDCI and Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi are vibrant bodies. So we decided why don't we come together and support this sports event for public awareness,” FDCI President Sunil Sethi told reporters here.

“FDCI is also planning to involve some of our top designers to design uniforms for the participants in the Games,” he said, sharing the stage with Commonwealth Games mascot Shera, Organising Committee Vice President Mr. Randhir Singh, hockey stars Sandeep Singh and former India hockey captain Zafar Iqbal.

Preparation for mega events like CWG time consuming: Kalmadi

Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Monday sought to defend delays in completion of venues, saying preparation for such a mega event is always time consuming and the country cannot present "half-cooked meals" to the world.

"We are organising a major sporting event in the country after a gap of 28 years, after Asian Games in 1982. It's a big challenge for us. You need to present a world class event when the whole world is watching. You need to showcase everything on a large scale. You cannot serve half-cooked meal," Kalmadi said.

"We are not lagging behind. All venues are ready barring JLN stadium and Yamuna Sports Complex. There work would be over by June 30. You need to understand when a city organises any international sports event, it takes five to 10 years to prepare itself. This is the same with Delhi," he said, speaking at a seminar titled "The Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth: Indian Sport poised for a take off" here.

He said Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell was happy with the progress of preparation when he last visited the country.

"About delays and extending deadlines I want to say that when CGF chief Mike Fennell paid his last visit to India he had said that Delhi Games will going to be best ever, even better than Melboune," said the IOA chief.

"We want to promote Olympics sports through Commonwealth Games and we are up for the challenge. Winning the gold medal in Commonwealth is much more important than winning a match in cricket," he said.

Kalmadi thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for releasing Rs 600 crores from his special fund on the training of the athletes, in paying foreign coaches and looking after their food and lodging.

"We are incurring an expenditure of 1600 crores and we have taken it as loan from the government. We will pay them by the way of sponsorship. The total cost of organising the Games is 10,000 crores. You see magnitude of Games is enormous," Kalmadi said.

Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy said rather than being a burden on the country, the Games would present India various opportunities in several fronts.

"The prestige of the country is associated with the successful organisation of the Games. We in the government are treating this event as a prestigious national project. This is an opportunity to showcase to the world that we are up for even bigger sporting challenges," Reddy said.

"It not in anyway could be counted as a burden on the country, but it's a bonanza of numerous opportunity. With the games we are ceasing the opportunity to put sports infrastructure in place," he said.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit supported Reddy and said that the huge money involved in the preparation of the October 3-14 event will not be a waste but will give a rich dividends in future.

"Everybody is critical of the amount of money involved in the preparation for the Games. But I want to make it clear that whatever we want to achieve as a nation will be done through this event," Dikshit said.

"It's not a big burden but a big jackpot for the whole country. Legacy of India as well as Delhi in particular are also attached to it.

"Whatever sum of money we are spending on the stadium upgradations, on building infrastructures for the visitors and athletes, all these will work in presenting Delhi as a major sporting destination," she added.

Secretary General of the Commonwealth Kamlesh Sharma said despite all the alarms, India and all the stakeholders involved would be proud of their enhanced stature after the completion of the Games.

"This event is for the welfare and development of other sports in the country," he said.

Queens Baton relay to showcase importance of CW games in UP

The Queens Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010, will showcase the importance and popularity of the Games in nine cities of Uttar Pradesh
during its two phase of the relay in the state.

The organising Committee of the Games have also urged the UP government to make arrangement for the publicity and popularity of the relay by seeking participation of eminent personalities and sportsperson.

The relay will enter UP from Bareilly on July 8 and after stopping at Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Allahabad and Varanasi it will enter Gaya in Bihar on July 13. In the second phase, it will enter Lalitpur in Bundelkhand on September 20 and after visiting Jhansi and Agra on September 21 it will end in New Delhi on September 30.

The Taj city of Agra would be the focal point for the foreign tourists coming to New Delhi for the Games as more than one lakh foreigners could reach there during the fortnight long Games from October 3 to 14.

Sheila promises first ever green CWG

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today expressed confidence about grand success of the Commonwealth Games 2010 and promised that these will be the ''first ever green Games'' in the world.

''Entire infrastructure is being developed on the concept of green building. The Commonwealth Games in Delhi will be first ever green Games in the world.''Ms Dikshit said.

''There has been a perfect coordination between different agencies involved in making preparations for the Games as their assignments were clearly defined and there was no overlapping at all,'' the Chief Minister maintained.

There will be no opportunity to pick the holes after the CWG, she added.

She was speaking during a panel discussion on ''Delhi 2010: The Games and the Commonwealth'' at India Habitat Centre, here.

The discussion was also joined by the Union Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy, Chairman of the CWG Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi, Indian Olympic Association Secretary-General Randhir Singh and others.

Highlighting that the hosting of 19th Commonwealth Games in Delhi has provided an excellent opportunity to simultaneously undertake a number of infrastructural projects, Ms Dikshit said, ''We are going to substantially achieve infrastructure development immediately after the Games, which otherwise would have taken a decade or so.'' ''We are on show as a country and we will do all we can to stage a world-class event,'' the CM exhorted.

Expressing hope that all infrastructures will be ready by June or early July, Ms Dikshit exhorted people to render their constructive cooperation in making the Games a memorable and historical event.

The nation pays for pampered Delhi

Suddenly, Delhi's residents have woken up to the cost of the Commonwealth Games.

The state government has raised taxes, or slashed subsidies, on everything from cooking gas to diesel, and from mobile phones to clothes, to raise Rs 850 crore (Rs 8.50 bilion), about Rs 2,000 per family over the year.

That has many people mightily upset, and anti-Games, all of a sudden. As it happens, the state had asked the Centre for Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion), or thereabouts, for investing in Games-related infrastructure, but got only half the sum from Pranab Mukherjee's Budget.

If the Centre had given nothing (and it could be argued that Bihar deserved the money more), then the increase in Delhi taxes would have been twice as much. As ever, the city is pampered, but does not recognise it.

So, what does it cost to host the Games? The initial figure was Rs 767 crore (Rs 7.67 billion), as mentioned when the city bid for the Games five or six years ago. That number more than doubled by last year, to Rs 1,620 crore (Rs 16.20 billion), and recent reports suggest that it has climbed again.

Against this, the state chief minister says the cost of hosting the Games is Rs 15,000 crore (Rs 150 billion) -- which includes the cost of the investment in the city's infrastructure, like the new low-floor buses, metro lines, flyovers, brighter streetlights, better street furniture, redone kerbsides, and so on -- all of which makes at least the showcase part of the Capital such a contrast to every other city in the country.

Why, the promise is that the city will even be power-surplus in six months!

Even at Rs 15,000 crore, the outlay seems modest when South Africa is spending $6 billion (Rs 27,000 crore 0r Rs 270 billion) to host this summer's World Cup football. The difference is that the World Cup involves more than one city, and lasts longer than a fortnight, while the Games involve many more participants.

Comparisons being difficult, the operative question (as with the Asian Games in 1982) is: Should one count the expenditure on the city's additional metro lines or buses (some of them air-conditioned) as part of the cost of the Games? After all, the outlay on Delhi's public transport next year will be Rs 4,224 crore (Rs 42.24 billion), which is certainly not normal.

The issue here is whether Delhi residents are picking up the tab, or the rest of the country. A city's residents are entitled to spend on themselves out of their own revenue.

But if the money is coming from the Centre as a gift, money that could have gone to more needy states, then questions can and should be asked. It is worth noting that Delhi got Rs 2,496 crore (Rs 24.96 billion) from the Centre for its current year's budget, three times the figure for the year before. So, it does seem that the rest of the country is paying in some way.

As it happens, prosperous Delhi has a total budget of Rs 26,000 crore (Rs 260 billion) -- substantially more than the beleaguered Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion).

The other difference is that an unusually high 43 per cent of the Delhi budget goes into Plan expenditure (new schools, new hospitals, a new ambulance fleet). Indeed, while West Bengal's total budget is three times bigger than Delhi's (for nearly five times the population), its Plan outlay is only 50 per cent bigger.

Seen in context, the additional Rs 850 crore that Delhi residents are being asked to pay is small beer.

Given the makeover that the Capital city is getting, and the financial support that the Centre is providing, Delhiites should keep quiet and count their blessings.

Commonwealth Games will be a turning point for India, says Sharma

Secretary General of the 53-nation Commonwealth, Kamalesh Sharma, on Monday said that the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in the national capital is already a big achievement, but would become after the Games are over besides being the turning point for India as a nation.

Talking to the top brass of the Organizing Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi at its headquarters, Sharma said: “I am glad I came here. Of course, one has a theoretical view that these things must be very complex, but it is only when you visit a place where things are being done that the magnitude of the task really hits you.”

“I wish you all strength and success. I am sure it will be a Games that India is going to be proud of and the Commonwealth, too,” he added.

Meanwhile, Organizing Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi Chairman Suresh Kalmadi and his team briefed Sharma on the progress made.

Kalmadi said it was an honour to have the Commonwealth Secretary-General in the headquarters of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee.

“I am glad you were present at the launch of the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi in Buckingham Palace and we count on your support,” Kalmadi told Sharma.