Commonwealth Games road show launched in Kochi (Lead)

The first of the series of the ambitious road shows to popularise the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games was launched with much fanfare here Saturday.

As a part of this elaborate public contact programme initiated by the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, cultural events, road shows, painting competitions, quiz programmes and dance festivals are being organised across the nation.

Kochi becomes the first stop in the countrywide road shows. Jiji Thomson, special director-general of CGOC, is spearheading this initiative.

School children turned out in large number for the painting competition. Shera, the Games mascot, was introduced to everyone and especially to the children.

I am happy to see so many children coming out and participating in the painting competition and taking the message come out and play in its real spirit, said, Thomson.

"With six months to go before the Games, the time has now come for all Indians to come together and be a part of the event," Thomson said.

"Through the road shows, we wish to galvanise and mobilise people across the country and encourage them to be a part of this mega event."

On the second day of the event Sunday, an exhibition of selected paintings from todays competition will be held at the venue.

On the final day of the road show, the CGOC would make a detailed presentation on the Games to people from different walks of life in the state.

CM inaugurates fully dedicated power grid for CWG village

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today inaugurated a fully dedicated 66/11 KV CWG village Grid sub- station, an important structure for Commonwealth Games 2010.

The Rs 40 crore BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) sub-station will be catering to all the power needs of the CWG village complex being developed in the vicinity of the Akshardham Temple with its dual transformers to handle any eventuality and contingency.

According to the BYPL, it is the first 'green grid' in North India. ''The control room building was constructed by using fly-ash bricks. We have also developed a 14,000 litre water harvesting system with the help of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute),'' a BYPL spokesperson said.

It will also boast of a green cover on 30 per cent of its land for which Ms Dikshit has encouraged children to plant trees.

On the occasions, Ms Dikshit congratulated the BSES for completing the project in a short span of 13 months and appreciated their efforts of working shoulder to shoulder with the government to meet the requirements.

''Not only the Games village, but the adjoining areas will also get the benefit of this Grid. It will draw power from Delhi as well as National Grid. There is no chance for failure as it operates on a dual system,'' Ms Dikshit said.

''It is green so it also goes with the spirit of the CWG,'' she added.

The grid will also cater to the needs of around two lakh people residing in the surrounding areas.

Selja rules out delay in construction works for CWG

Ruling out delay in construction works for Commonwealth Games, Union Minister for Tourism and Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja today said the preparations for the games were in full swing and construction works would be completed prior to the commencement of the games. Ms Selja stated this while interacting with media here during a visit to her Lok Sabha constituency. Earlier, her attention was drawn to certain media reports that the construction of some of the stadia would not be completed in time. The Torism Minister said ""The work was steadily going on and everyday one or two stadia were being inaugurated''. She said construction for accommodating the players during the games was also being carried out in the cities of Haryana, contiguous to the national capital.

Earlier, on reaching here from Delhi, the Minister heard complaints and grievances from the people gathered in large number at her residence. She settled some of the problems through the district officers present on the occasion.

CWG will help upgrade Delhi's infrastructure: Sheila

Taking a dig at the critics of expenditure on the Commonwealth Games, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said the real advantage will come to the fore after the completion of the Games.

Ms Dikshit was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of a power grid fully dedicated to the CWG village here.

''Delhi will experience a huge change in the infrastructure after the completion of the CWG in October,'' she said.

''Players, guests and tourists will come and go, but infrastructure will remain with Delhi. People will have better roads, new buses, improved electricity supply and many more positive changes after its completion,'' the Chief Minister stated.

She also urged people to change their attitude and thinking towards the responsibilities as a citizen and bring improvement in their manners.

''People should start following traffic rules, they should learn how to cross the road, take care of the buses, keep the city clean,'' she asserted.

''They will have a huge contribution in the success of CWG,'' she added.

2010 will show India has already arrived on global stage: Reddy

Union Minister for Urban Development S Jaipal Reddy today said the successful conduct of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) here later this year would convey to the world at large that India has already arrived on the global stage. ''Organising the Games is a great national task and I am sure we will deliver the best Games,'' he said.

Reddy, who heads the Group of Ministers overseeing the co-ordination and development work for the Games, paid a visit to the headquarters of the Organising Committee here this morning and assured it of the Government's full support.

''I am sure we will be able to get all venues ready well in time,'' he said, adding,''The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is totally committed to the conduct of the Games.'' The minister complimented Kalmadi as a great organiser and a doer and said, as the head of the Group of Ministers overseeing the Games, his job was to provide fillip to the process and strengthen the OC Chairman's hands. He said it was important for India to make the most of the awareness created by the Commonwealth Games.

''We did not follow up the 1982 Asiad very well and we must do it now,'' he asserted.

Kalmadi thanked Reddy for his support and guidance and said things had started moving quickly after he was named to lead the Group of Ministers overseeing the preparation for the CWG.

With 6 months to go, Games village gets dedicated power sub-station

The Commonwealth Games Village got a dedicated power sub-station on Sunday, exactly six months away from the showpiece event, to make the uber-luxurious residential complex free of power cuts.

Built at a cost of Rs 40-crore, in a record 13 months, the substation will supply around 50 megawatts to the Village and to about two lakh residents in nearby areas.

“This grid has been designed keeping any eventuality in mind and to ensure that not a single power cut affects the Village,” Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said after inaugurating the substation. “It draws power from Delhi’s power stations as well as the Northern grid. There is no chance for failure as it operates on a dual system.”

With the power supply in place, the Games Village is now closer to being ready for use.

To be doubly sure that the power supply to the Village stays uninterrupted, the grid has two heavy-duty transformers — one primary and the other as a back up — to take care of any contingency. “We have also made sure that the substation complex is environment-friendly, in keeping with the theme of the Games,” said Ramesh Narayanan, chief executive officer, BSES Yamuna, which supplies power to East Delhi, including the Village. Recently, Congress Members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly had demanded that they all be given flats in the Village at highly discounted rates.

Finance Minister A.K. Walia said the new grid would be beneficial to East Delhi areas.

“Post Games, this grid will boost power supply to Shakarpur, Laxmi Nagar, Mayur Vihar and adjoining areas,” he said.

Adjacent to the Akshardham temple, the substation complex has been made of fly ash and 30 per cent of the area has a green cover.

“We also have a water harvesting system in there,” Narayanan said.

The water harvesting system has been designed with expertise from TERI and has a capacity to harvest 14,000 litres of rainwater.

Games village gets North India's first green grid

The Commonwealth Games village today got a dedicated power sub-station, the first green grid in North India, to meet the electricity demands of the village and of the 2,00,000 people living in nearby areas.

The Rs 40-crore 66/11 KV Commonwealth Grid sub-station was inaugurated by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who said the facility would distribute around 50 Mw electricity to the village as well as the adjoining localities. “Not only the Games Village, the adjoining areas will also get the benefit of this grid. It draws power from Delhi as well as the national grid. There is no chance of power failure as it operates on a dual system. If it cannot draw power from Delhi, it will get power from the national grid,” said Dikshit.

She said the grid reflected the “green” spirit of the Games as environment-friendly fly ash bricks were used to construct it. It had facilities for water harvesting and 30 per cent of its area had green cover, Dikshit said.

Responding to a suggestion of East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit, the chief minister said there was a need to tap solar energy also as conventional sources could not be there for ever.

She said by next year, the state would have enough power to meet all its needs and the government would do every bit to provide electricity to the people. But, consumers should also do their bit to conserve energy, she said.

She also took on those opposed to holding of the Games here, saying there would be some expenses but flyovers, new buses, the Metro system and other development works will stay.

GFI promises Rs 10 lakhs to CWG'10 gold medallists

Gymnastics Federation of India today promised a cash award of Rs 10 lakhs for the gymnasts who will fetch gold medal in the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi from October 3-14.

With this, the GFI award will match the amount presently being offered by Union Sports Ministry to the sportspersons excelling in various disciplines in the Commonwealth and the Asian Games.

GFI President Jaspal Singh Kandhari said here that the idea behind the move is to encourage and give incentives to all those deserving gymnasts who bring laurels to the country.

The gymnasts who bag silver and bronze medal in the Games will be awarded Rs 5 lakhs and Rs 3 lakhs respectively, he said.

Kandhari said the decision to give the award was taken in their Annual General Council Meeting held at Hyderabad recently. As many as 28 units are affiliated to the GFI.

In order to give exposure to the Commonwealth Games probables, the men and women artistic teams will take part in various international championships to be held in France and Russia in the coming two months.

These probables are now being trained at the coaching camp at Pune under the watchful eyes of a reputed foreign coaches, Kandhari said.

The mandatory test event of gymnastics before the Delhi Games will be held in July this year at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, venue of the gymnastic events of the CWG, he added.

'The legacy of Games will be ours'

In this interview with Aditi Phadnis, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit answers the question everyone is asking: ‘What after the Commonwealth Games’?

Aren’t you the first chief minister to increase the price of LPG?
We haven’t increased the price much. LPG became more expensive in June 2008 after the Government of India increased the price by Rs 50 a cylinder. The Delhi government then gave a subsidy of Rs 40 per cylinder. In 2009, the central government reduced the price. We didn’t touch the price then. But in view of the price hike, it was important to review the subsidy. The government has brought LPG under the zero VAT (value-added tax) regime and so the sale price will be Rs 310.38 per cylinder. The price per cylinder is higher in other places, such as Kolkata (Rs 328.70), Gujarat (Rs 325) and Chennai (Rs 315.95).

Are you not afraid of a backlash?
No. I think people have understood. They are a little irritated; they ask: “Do we have to pay for the Commonwealth Games?” I keep telling them that the Games will last just 13 days, but their legacy will be ours. The withdrawal of VAT on CNG and LPG has made people’s anger a little less.

But there is also an argument that people in Delhi can afford to pay...
Well, the per capita income in Delhi is Rs 88,000, the highest in India. The figure is around Rs 35,000 for the rest of the country. We have been able to take bold steps because Delhi is a trading centre, a cosmopolitan city where people from across the country come to work. It is the only state in the country which spends 98 per cent of its Plan funds. We have achieved this in the last three years.

Then, why is the Comptroller and Auditor General slamming the way your government has managed its finances?
I haven’t seen the full report yet. I have only read the accounts that have appeared in newspapers. But, what is money for, if not to spend on people who live and work in Delhi? I wanted low-floor buses so that we could modernise the state’s transport system. We now have buses which are air-conditioned, smart and efficient. For this, we got just Rs 50 crore from the central government. But I must say that because there is now more efficient collection of VAT, our revenues will keep going up.

But isn’t the corpus of small savings alarmingly low? I understand you have only about Rs 200 crore left, as your government has been dipping into it for infrastructure creation. There is also the problem of fiscal deficit...
Yes, small savings are down. But VAT collections for 2009-10 are going to be Rs 1,000 crore more than the previous year. Yes, the fiscal deficit has been rising for the past few years. In 2009-10, it was Rs 3,561 crore, while it was upwards of Rs 3,000 crore in the current budget. Fiscal deficit, as we all know, is the most vital piece of economic statistics, indicating the health of the economy. In order to bring it within tolerable limits, we have to slash unreasonable subsidies.

What worries me is not that we’re spending money. What worries me is this: Will we have enough money for the social sector after the Games are over and infrastructure created for the event is put to use. Our state pays each widow and handicapped an allowance of Rs 1,000 each per month. Close to 250,000 people are given old-age pension amounting to Rs 1,000 per month. We have covered 212,058 beneficiaries under the Rashtriya Swasthya Beema Yojana. Health cover to the tune of Rs 30,000 per annum per family has been given to 1.2 million beneficiaries. This covers 780 illnesses and 79 hospitals.

The government is planning to increase the uniform subsidy for students in schools run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi from Rs 200 to Rs 500, bringing it on a par with the Delhi Government schools.

The Games will be over by the end of year. What is your vision for Delhi after that? Because you’re in your third term, the ministers are doing the same job and the government is doing the same things. But for the Games, there is a sense of ennui about the government’s tasks...
As I have indicated, after the Games, my biggest priority will be the social sector. We now have the Right to Education. The health of women is a big priority. I don’t know if you’ve seen the cervical cancer campaign, but this is a big concern.

Delhi is going to have one of the biggest airports in the world in one year. It is a heritage city. New York and Washington are modern cities but they don’t have the kind of history and heritage Delhi has. I want to create a capital that every Indian can feel proud of.

I’m keen to revamp the public distribution system (PDS). The pilferage in PDS shops has to be seen to be believed. I have suggested that instead of giving grain to families through PDS, we should have direct cash transfers, with the cash going to the account of the woman in the house. But there are many, including the Planning Commission, that are opposing it.

Will the coming summer be a hard one?
Well, power losses used to be 52 per cent. Now, they are 18-19 per cent.

You increased power tariffs recently...
Yes, but only for high-end and commercial users. Now, every house is metered. As for the supply, we have made arrangements to ensure that Delhi gets 3,000-4,000 Mw.

Future of two Commonwealth venues looks bleak

The Commonwealth Games may be an opportunity to create the best of infrastructure, but not everything built for the October 3 to 14 event will hold the country in good stead. At least two venues come into focus this month by hosting test events, but their future looks rather bleak.

The Commonwealth big bore championship to be held at the Kadarpur ranges near here later this month are the best example of an event that not only has no takers in India but also holds little relevance in modern day sport. The big bore championships do not figure in events like the Olympics and Asian Games since the 1972 terrorist attack on Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, hence most countries do not pursue them.

However, they are part of the Commonwealth Games and have resulted in India having to spend Rs50 crores on the venue, apart from expenditure on the event and the test event with a sizeable amount on security. This event was originally scheduled to be part of the Commonwealth shooting championship held last month, but had to be held separately since the venue could not be ready in time.

If the venue at the Kadarpur ranges in Gurgaon may have few users after the event, the one for Rugby 7s at Delhi University may not be available for the sport at all, as plans are afoot to maintain it primarily as a cricket ground. Other disciplines like lawn bowling, netball and even archery are set to yield ground to other sports after the CWG, but the plans for them were never permanent.