1 lakh condoms for Commonwealth Games off the field

One lakh condoms. That’s what awaits athletes and officials from across the world at the luxurious Commonwealth Games Village during the showpiece event now six months away.

Taking a leaf out of Beijing and Melbourne, the Organising Committee (OC) in collaboration with the Delhi Health Department will provide free condoms at the reception area of the Village polyclinic open 24X7 to athletes and officials.

The final modalities are being worked out, a top OC source told HT.

“There will be around 8,000 residents at the Village. At a conservative count of one condom per person per day, we need at least 96,000 condoms for the whole 12 days,” said the official, who saw the same practice in Beijing and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. “The condoms flew off the shelves after the first few days in Beijing. Athletes are used to availing of them after their events.”

Talks are on to rope in the Delhi AIDS Control Society to use the condom packs for AIDS awareness messages.

Wary of a possible controversy, the OC has kept its guard up on the matter. “Previous Games Villages have had condoms available and we’ll also provide them if residents ask for it,” said its spokesman Lalit Bhanot.

Amity University to train volunteers for Games

Amity University at Noida has been awarded the contract to train 30,000 volunteers for the Commonwealth Games.

The university’s vice president (corporate communication), Savita Mehta said: ‘The organising committee of the Commonwealth Games has awarded this contract to us. We have to train volunteers in several fields like general training, role training, venue training, training for trainers and leadership training.’

The process of selecting volunteers has been started by the organising committee.

In the first phase 310 students from the university have been selected. ‘2000 students are to be selected in the phase from different departments of the university,’ Mehta added.

Low parking tariffs in gurgaon keep bidders away

The Haryana government finds itself in a bind, with no one coming forward to bid for multi-level parking lots in Sectors 29 and 43.

The government had earlier claimed that it will have seven multi-level parking lots ready before the Commonwealth Games in October.

However, this seems highly unlikely now, going by the current status.

One reason for this could be the parking tariffs being fixed at Rs. 10 for two-four hours of parking, as against Delhi where it is Rs. 20-30 per hour.

“Another reason behind the apparent disinterest is the presence of the parking mafia in Gurgaon,” said a developer on condition of anonymity.

The Haryana Government's cash-rich development agency Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) had floated tenders for 5.5 acre-multi-level parking projects in Sector 29.

The parking capacity of this project with no-height restrictions was 5,000 cars and it was to be built on BOT (built, operate and transfer) basis, with a 33-year concession period.

“We are shocked that not even a single bidder has come forward to even enquire about the tender for the

multi-level parking project in Sector 29,” said Pankaj Kumra, superintending engineer, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).

The tender offer for another multi-level parking project in Sector 43 also met a similar fate.

Floated in 2008, the tender offer for the 3,000 car capacity-multi-level parking project did not attract even a single bid and has finally been shelved.

Rajesh Khullar, commissioner, municipal corporation of Gurgaon admitted that none of the multilevel parking projects could materialise before Commonwealth Games.

No rifles for shooting event a week away

India's top shooters for the Commonwealth Championships (full-bore) may well have to practice and compete with borrowed guns. The Championships, to be held at the newly constructed Rs 25 crore range at Kadarpur in Gurgaon from April 15, is a test event for the Commonwealth Games.

The eight shooters selected in the core pool for the full-bore event (1000 yards) are in a tough spot. Reason: There are no full-bore rifles in the country with which they can practice or compete. With the target at 1000 yards, their rifles just don't have the range.

At the Commonwealth Championships, there are two events, each carrying two medals --- one with the target at 300 yards and the other at 1000 yards.

The other reason the shooters are up in arms is that at the Commonwealth Games, there is only one event, with two medals at stake (individual and team). The shooter must hit targets at 300, 500, 600, 900 and 1000 yards.

Simply put, with the rifles that the Indians currently have, they won't be able to shoot at targets beyond the first distance (300 yards).

A few days ago, the government finally placed an order for four full bore rifles. But since they are purpose made, it will take at least a month for them to arrive.

"Earlier, the NRAI had asked for 12 rifles, which was turned down by the government. Then, six were asked for, finally the government agreed for four rifles," said a source.

There is further bad news. The Australian coach appointed for the team is yet to arrive while the camp for the shooters is slated to begin on April 10, giving them only four days to practice. Off the record, the government has said the rifles would arrive soon, but they are meant for training, and not for competition.

The solution in sight is that the Indian shooters will have to practice and compete by borrowing rifles from other the teams. For a host nation, this must surely be a new low.

We may launch IPO within 90 days: Emaar Properties chairman

Emaar Properties chairman, Mohammed A Alabbar, also the senior aide to Dubai’s ruler, who was on a whistle-stop visit to India, spoke to DNA on the group’s housing project for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, plans for London, IPO in India, learnings from the global recession, bureaucratic hurdles across the globe, and much more. Emaar MGF executive vice chairman, Shravan Gupta, also joined Alabbar during the interview.Excerpts:

What does the Emaar MGF Commonwealth housing project mean to you?
It is a very important project for us; it is a partnership with the government, which has been a challenging and rewarding experience for us. We have been able to deliver the project on time, during the most difficult time. We had 12,000 workers on site for the construction for 18 months. It has been a great learning experience for us, we are very happy with the end result, we have sold over 90% of the inventory. It clearly demonstrates that as an organisation we have strength and capability to deliver projects, and that is the vision of the promoters.

Are you involved with any such project for the upcoming Asian Games in China and the 2012 London Olympics?
Frankly, the Chinese market is out of our reach currently. But I see London as a place where we can do well. We have offices there, but are not planning anything immediately. But again margin wise, corporate opportunity wise, Asia is much more opportunistic.

On the luxury side, end of 2008 and throughout 2009, that segment suffered the most in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore… But now some uptrends can be seen in the luxury market. What is your take?
It was not just in India, the crash was worldwide. But, all along we have been trying to pay out attention to middle to up-market housing and that is where we see demand. It is also a matter of location and because of the location we have to go up, and we are doing it. But we are not doing lower income housing, because you have to have the state of mind from the way you operate or work or you think for construction purpose. We have structured our mind.

Anyone who is in the low income housing and do not do their homework well, are waiting for a surprise. But I feel people should go for low income housing as it is their social responsibility. But our focus is different.

How is Emaar doing in Dubai? You recently rolled over $1.23 billion of debt and have also refused to participate in consolidation with Dubai Holding entities.
We are a public company operating in 16 countries, whether it is Dubai, Riyadh or Mumbai, we have laws relating to credit finance, etc. which has been done. As a company, our debt equity ratio is just a quarter, which is very low. Dubai market is stabilizing, which has started to move up, but at a slow pace.

What lessons did you learn from the global recession?
The leverage story is something we should have been careful about. I remember people coming to us and saying that “you should have more debt on your balance sheet”…. I told them that I do not want to borrow, but they kept on forcing. After that some other banker came to us and said “give us the money back”. That trend was alarming. It was a good lesson to learn in the game of leverage. The lesson was that one must pick up right assets at the right time and that life is not always rosy. Everyone was thinking that it was love forever, but that was not there to sustain. I am glad that my team in India and I are still relatively conservative.

When is your IPO expected in India?
With the current discussions, we are trying to launch it in the next 90 days. But again it is the question of how the markets hold out. I hope there is no bad news here or from another country. We are committed to being a public company and have been working as a public company for a long time, so sooner the better.

Do you have the anchor investors for the issue?
We always had the anchor investors. When we started, we had very key firms, but the idea is to see how rest of the investors will come, what would be the price range and what would be the post IPO performance. There are a lot of factors. You see there were big negatives on real estate last year, but now that negative has turned neutral. I think anybody who survived the crisis became stronger. Today, we are selling at a reasonable price. Customers are buying our inventory, they show confidence in our brand and product. We want to get the IPO done in the same fashion.

Do you think the recent Enforcement Directorate investigation would be a hurdle for the IPO?
No, we have our Sebi approvals. There was a probe in November, nothing came out of it. I don’t know what the real agenda behind it was. That’s how life operates in India.

What are your biggest challenges in India?
The biggest challenge is to ensure that we have execution capability, serving our customers well while managing the balance sheet properly. And the challenge is how you do both to make you grow in this incredible market.

Is there any specific hurdle or challenge in the Indian market?
We work in 16 countries and every country has its own regulation and bureaucratic processes. But there are countries, where it takes much longer for clearances. If in India, it takes one year to get a clearance, it takes many more in some others. In Toronto (Canada), we got a clearance four years after applying for it.
In India, you would target the residential or commercial projects?
It will be a combination of both, it is majority commercial at the moment, but as we move forward we will launch more commercial project and it will even out. We might go for the lease or the outright sale strategy, we have not discussed that yet … we have a good land bank.

You are also into the healthcare, education and financial services business in Dubai, what are your plans for India?
At the moment our hands are full on the real estate side, to be honest. Maybe we will build a project that needs designing schools. We can look at a model like that.

Are you going to stay invested in the JV with MGF post your public listing in India?
We will remain invested, India is a huge growth market for us.

You have operations in Pakistan also. Has that ever been a problem for you in the Indian market?
No, never. And, why should it be a problem?

You have many hospitality tie-ups such as with Hyatt, Accor and you recently exited one with Whitbread. What are the plans for these tie-ups?
They are very capital intensive and we have put all construction on that front on the backburner, we may discuss that in 2011. But we are not looking to exit any one of them at the moment.

What is your investment outlook for India?
I cannot give any projections, but we are very bullish for India for further investments.

Three-tier fire security for Games

The Delhi Fire Service has recommended fixed fire-fighting arrangements as per the National Building Code-IV and planned a three-tier fire security system at all Commonwealth Games venues here in the Capital.Besides, a team of fire-fighters with water-mist technology-enabled backpack system will be deputed inside the stadiums for immediate response and help in emergency evacuation. These teams will be backed up by standby fire engines positioned inside the stadium. Giving out the details of the various measures being taken for fire safety ahead of the international sporting event in Delhi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Thursday that dedicated fire stations and a separate Commonwealth Games fire control room have been planned to ensure that the event remains incident-free. Besides, she said, a secure wireless communication and automatic vehicle tracking system has also been planned for the Games.

The Chief Minister, who was speaking at a function to mark the Raising Day of the Delhi Fire Service at the Fire Safety Management Academy, Rohini, also asserted that there would be no dearth of funds for development and modernisation of fire service as the Department personnel are performing a laudable role at the risk of their life.

Pointing to the technological advancements made in the field of fire engineering, the Chief Minister said DFS had also modernised its equipment and procured 10 fast responding motorcycles with water mist technology, five specialised fast-response fire vehicles, specialised fire tenders and personal protective equipment.

DFS Director R.C. Sharma informed that three Disaster Management Centres have been established and are working at the Laxmi Nagar, Rohini and Nehru Place fire stations to provide immediate response in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.

Queen's Baton 2010 Delhi arrives to fanfare in Belize City

The Queen’s Baton 2010 Delhi arrived to fanfare from Bahamas at the Phillip Goldson International Airport in Belize on Wednesday. Belize is the 47th country the Queen’s Baton has been to since the relay was launched at the Buckingham Palace on October 29. It is due to leave Belize on Friday for Bermuda after which it will travel to Canada.

According to The Belize Guardian, 10 members of Belize’s national cycling team hoisted the 2kg Baton high and in a scorching afternoon heat proudly led a motorcade as they rode with it from the Airport to the Stella Maris School on Princess Margaret Drive.

After a short ceremony on the Stella Maris Campus, cyclist Byron Pope handed the Queen’s Baton 2010 Delhi to Michael Graham who won gold in the 200m race in the 2008 Special Olympics. Graham in turn handed it to Belize City Mayor Zenaida Moya-Flowers. She accepted it and said the Baton represents the heritage shared by Commonwealth countries.

On Thursday afternoon, the Mayor will formally hand the baton to Minister of Sports, Information, and Broadcasting Mr. Elvin Penner after a parade through the streets. It heads to Belmopan on April 9. On its way, it will stop briefly at the Youth Hostel at Mile 21. Thereafter, in Belmopan it will be presented to Mayor Simeon Lopez. Athletes will then relay it to the Governor General Sir Colville Young and British High Commissioner Patrick Ashworth.

Belize will be sending a contingent of 18 athletes to the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi that will be held from October 3 to 14.

100% rise in CWG project cost

Commonwealth Games 2010 is costing the taxpayer a pretty penny, with the cost of major projects going up from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 2,460 crore. Authorities have been facing flak for some time now over delays in completion of projects but it now appears that cost escalation is a major cause for concern as well.

In response to an RTI query filed by activist S C Agrawal, CPWD has admitted that construction and upgradation work on Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has cost nearly double the original estimate — from Rs 455 crore to Rs 961 crore.

Construction work at other stadia in the city has also seen a marked increase. The cost incurred on the Dr Karni Singh shooting range, for instance, has shot up from a mere Rs 16 crore to Rs 149 crore.

The revised cost for Indira Gandhi Stadium has gone up from Rs 271 crore to Rs 669 crore, while work at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee swimming pool complex finally cost Rs 377 crore compared to the estimated Rs 145 crore.

Major Dhyanchand National Stadium — inaugurated by the sports minister in March — has cost the exchequer Rs 262 crore compared to the estimated Rs 113 crore while an additional cost of Rs 42 crore was added for consultancy services, which was not budgeted for earlier.

Explaining the revised expenditure, CPWD said costs went up because of revised cost indices and escalation, change in scope of work, additions and deletions made to the venues and the addition of ancillaries like service tax, quality assurance and contingencies .

Incidentally, JLN Stadium has missed its deadline with work on venues for athletics, lawn bowls and weightlifting still going on. The deadline has been extended for the weightlifting venue from February 15 to May 31.

At Indira Gandhi Stadium, the cycling track was expected to be finished by March 31 but will only be ready by May 31 as is the case with the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee swimming pool complex.