Journey of Unity: Students embraced as Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi ends

The Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi has ended on a high note after a three days journey around the capital, Honiara.

Island nation's leading newspaper the Solomon Star reported that the last day yesterday has again been a successful day as the baton visited children and students in different schools and also the Rove prison.

The relay started at Mbokonavera School yesterday then to Mbokona, St John, Bishop Epalle Catholic School, Red Cross handicap centre, White-River and ended at Tanagai School.

From Tanagai, it was accompanied down to Rove where it was met and handed over to the Police Commissioner Peter Marshall who took the baton through a police guard of honour to the Rove Correctional Services.

At the Rove prison, it was met by the Correctional Services Commissioner Francis Haisoma who took escorted the baton to visit the prisoners.

Haisoma during his short remarks said that the prisoners were truly grateful that the Queens Baton has visited them.

It was explained to the prisoners that the baton has a GPS that monitors its whereabouts, a video camera and audio recorder that captures everything that moves and makes a sound.

“We are very privileged that the baton is here with us and I want to thank the organisers that there are no discriminations or whatsoever in regards to the status of the prisoners and therefore although our prisoners are here they are thought of to have the chance to see and touch the baton”, Haisoma said.

The baton after leaving Rove police station was accompanied by Commissioner Marshall again to town ground to the awaiting Miss Solomon Rabobo Toma, British High Commissioner Timothy Smart and the NOCSI president Fred Maetoloa who accompanied the baton to the Honiara City Council.

At the HCC, it was met by the Director of Public Prosecution Ronald Bei Talasasa.

The baton ended its journey at the Government House with NOCSI presenting the baton back to the Governor General Sir Frank Kabui who then handed it back to the Oceania Commonwealth President Vui Tapasu Leung Wai.

The baton will be leaving the country on Monday morning to Nauru.

Metro gets strict with defaulters

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation wants a sparkling clean look for its stations and coaches during the upcoming Commonwealth Games. And to ensure that there are no paan-stained dirty coaches and littered stations, the DMRC has begun a crackdown on passengers who do not go by the rule book.

“The DMRC is taking a number of measures to instil better civic sense among its commuters as part of its preparations for the Games. Thousands of foreign visitors are expected to use the metro system during the Games scheduled for October this year, and the Delhi Metro wants to maintain world-class civic standards in its trains and stations to welcome them,” said a spokesperson.

Four squads created

Delhi Metro authorities have become stricter with commuters found spitting inside the metro system or defacing property. Four special flying squads consisting of metro officials have been created which conduct surprise checks on a daily basis on different routes. “In March, 195 cases of spitting were detected by metro officials, while there were 62 cases of defacement of metro property and the station staff has been specifically directed to keep a close eye on commuters indulging in spitting, littering or defacing the metro premises. The station managers and controllers authorised to realise penalty from the offending commuters have already been issued ‘Authorised for Penalty' identity cards,” the spokesperson said.

“The DMRC will continue with these measures on its system from now on to ensure that cases of spitting or defacement of metro are completely brought under control. About one million commuters use the metro on any working day and it is expected that two million commuters will be using the system by the time of the Games,” the spokesperson added.

MCD to focus on cleaning of drains near Games sites

With the Commonwealth Games just round the corner, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has decided to pull up its socks by giving special emphasis to cleaning and de-silting of drains around the CWG sites in the Capital.

According to MCD Leader of House Subhash Arya, work on cleaning of drains has been started well ahead of the monsoon this year. There are a total of 1,550 drains that fall in the civic body's area of jurisdiction.

"We have started de-silting of drains months ago with top priority being given to the areas where the Commonwealth Games stadia are located. After the Games we would be drafting a new strategy to ensure that all drains in our area are cleaned up on a regular basis by our staff,” he added.

The MCD has also procured special equipments for the purpose and one round of de-silting was completed in February. The ongoing second round will be completed in June.

Mr. Arya said: “Apart from two existing super sucker machines we have purchased two new super sucker machines and the order for procurement of a few more machines has already been placed.”

For better coordination and more effective de-silting of drains, the civic body also transferred all the works of cleaning of drains to the Department of Environment Management Services (DEMS) in three of the 12 municipal zones this past week.

Mr. Arya said: "The work of de-silting of drains more than four-foot deep in respect of Rohini, Najafgarh and Narela zones has been delinked from the Engineering Department and transferred to DEMS. It will be introduced in other zones keeping in view the administrative requirements for better maintenance and de-silting of drains.”

“Since the majority of construction and repair work carried out by the Delhi Metro and other agencies for the Commonwealth Games would wind up before the upcoming monsoon season, we do not anticipate any problems such as overflowing drains this season,” he added.

Coca-Cola plans sports drink Powerade launch ahead of CWG

Coca-Cola India is running against time to launch its sports drink Powerade in the country before the Commonwealth Games in October.

The official beverages partner is keen to have a sports drink in its portfolio before the games takes off in New Delhi even if that means importing the product, a person close to the company brass said.

The world’s largest drink maker plans to start local manufacturing of Powerade in India, said the person on condition of anonymity.

But it will import the brand in case production is not ready in time for the games, he added. When contacted, a Coca-Cola India spokesman would not confirm or deny the proposed launch of Powerade. “As part of our beverage innovation pipeline, we are always on the look out for new opportunities,” he told ET. “We will get back to you as our plans fructify.”

As official partners, Coca-Cola has exclusive rights to serve drinks in its portfolio to athletes, spectators, team officials and volunteers at the games. But athletes mostly avoid fizzy drinks and prefer sports drinks instead. Hence the rush to launch Powerade.

Its biggest rival and world’s largest sports drinks brand Gatorade from PepsiCo is present in India since 2004. PepsiCo last month extended the brand to the ready-to-mix powder format, making it more accessible.

GlaxoSmithKline is working on commercial launch of its sports drink Lucozade which was test-marketed during the Mumbai Marathon in January this year.

It is not clear which all flavours of Powerade will be launched in India. In global markets, Powerade is available in a variety of flavors including orange, berry, lemon and mango. The brand also has a low-calorie variant — Powerade Option — in some markets.

Apart from Powerade, Coca-Cola also has Aquaruis in its global sports drinks portfolio. The agreement between Coca-Cola and the Commonwealth Games (CWG) organising committee at present includes fizzy drinks Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Thums Up, Fanta, Limca and Sprite, juice-based Nimbu Fresh, Maaza and Minute Maid, and water brands Kinley and Bonaqua.

It, however, excludes Coke’s energy drink Burn because energy drinks contain caffeine, which is banned for athletes.

Coca-Cola is aggressively chasing its arch rival PepsiCo in the global sports drinks market dominated by Gatorade.

Last year, Coca-Cola relaunched Powerade as Powerade Ion4 — a formulation claimed to replenish electrolytes lost in sweat.

Soon after, PepsiCo sued Coca-Cola over advertisements claiming that Gatorade was an ‘incomplete’ sports drink since it only contained two of the four key electrolytes.

The matter was ruled in favour of Coca-Cola for reasons including Gatorade making similar claims about its own brands, PepsiCo failing to prove any damage caused by the ads and that the commercials were run only for a limited period.

Fortified waters and sports drinks saw steep volume declines in 2009 in the US and Gatorade declined in double digits globally.

Coca-Cola was the official beverages partner for the Youth Commonwealth Games in Pune in 2008. Globally, the brand has been associated with the Olympic Games since 1928.

Games windfall: special markets and training for vendors

Come Commonwealth Games and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) hopes to change the face of tehbazari (licensed vending) in Delhi.

After its decision to provide state-of-the-art markets for licensed vendors — bids have already been invited for a model market at INA — the MCD will now provide them with skill-based training in association with the Tourism ministry.

The proposal — a part of the civic body’s plan to develop model markets — will be implemented in phases across all 12 municipal zones. The cost of the training will be borne by the Tourism ministry.

The project will ensure that vendors maintain the highest standards of nutrition and hygiene of their products and services at tehbazari sites. As per the agreement, the authorities have roped in the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Pusa, (IHMCN), to provide the in-house training. The institute is also trying to rope in restaurants, cafes and beauty parlours — including the likes of McDonalds and Habib’s — to provide the in-house training.

“The purpose of the project is to help upgrade technical and business skills to increase their income and maintain the highest standards of tehbazari services,” said Municipal Commissioner K S Mehra.

For now, the training will take place at INA and Paharganj and it will be in place before the Games. Thereafter, the project will be taken up across the Capital.

The MCD will further ensure “repeated intervention” to guarantee that the standards do not drop.

As per the civic body’s records, there are around 80,000 tehbazari-holders across its 12 zones.

As part of the ‘model market’ project, the licensed vendors will be provided “state-of-the-art markets” that will include vending sites/carts equipped with modern facilities.

The markets, besides being aesthetically pleasing, will have auxiliary facilities like eco-toilets, CCTV cameras, solar panels, locker rooms, street furniture, godown and ample parking space.

The vendors will be given specific identification numbers and will have specific slots in the market. The allotment of space will be done on a self-finance basis. While the kiosks will be “reasonably priced”, the idea behind the self-finance mechanism is to “generate a sense of ownership” among the vendors which will help them maintain standards, feel the civic authorities.

DMRC to drill ‘civic’ sense into Delhiites

In the run up to the Commonwealth Games in October, the Delhi Metro is taking a number of measures to instill better civic sense among its commuters.

To start with, it has already fined 195 persons for spitting and 62 for defacing Metro property. Four flying squads have been created for the purpose and these teams are already conducting surprise checks almost daily to catch erring commuters.

Station staff has been specifically directed to keep a close eye on commuters indulging in spitting, littering or defacing the metro premises.

Also, station managers and controllers, authorised to realise penalty from offending commuters, have already been issued ‘Authorised for Penalty’ identity cards, said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officer.

Thousands of foreign visitors are expected to use the Metro system during Games and the Delhi metro wants to maintain world-class civic standards on its train and stations.

“About 10 lakh (one million) commuters use the metro system on any working day and it is expected that 20 lakh (two million) commuters would use the system during the Games,” the DMRC officer added.

Further, volunteers of the Metro Citizen’s Forum have also been requested to promptly report cases of commuter misbehaviour to Metro authorities.

Besides spitting and defacing Metro property, other problems encountered at crowded stations include rush for seats, not letting de-boarding passengers alight from the train first and obstructing closing of doors.

The Delhi Metro already has 400 volunteers as part of its Metro Citizens’ Forum.

Low-floor bus fleet to ply for games

For Commonwealth Games, new low-floor buses will be ready to transport athletes, foreign delegates and officials.

According to Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) managing director Naresh Kumar, more than 3,500 buses will be deployed to ferry athletes and delegates. While the players and the team officials will be given 600-odd buses, 700 buses will be provided to Delhi police, 300 to sports authority and 1,300-1,400 will ply to transport spectators.

Kumar was speaking at a function held to flag off 197 new low floor buses. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit flagged off the new buses.

The DTC also inaugurated its new Express Bus Service for office goers. The new service, with 72 buses, will begin from Monday morning.

Flying squads to keep tabs on commuters in Metro trains

After giving Delhi a world-class Metro rail service, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is embarking on a more serious mission — instilling civic sense in its passengers — ahead of the Commonwealth Games in October this year.

The corporation is going to start penalizing commuters found spitting and littering inside trains and Metro stations and defacing Metro property.

For this, DMRC has constituted four special flying squads of officials to prosecute those dirtying the system. The squads have been instructed to move around in trains and visit stations on all the operational lines on a daily basis.
‘‘In March, 195 cases of spitting were detected by Metro officials, while there were 62 cases of defacement of Metro property. The station staff has been specifically directed to keep a close eye on commuters indulging in spitting, littering or defacing the Metro premises,’’ said a DMRC spokesperson.

To safeguard against instances of harassment, special staff has been designated to prosecute passengers indulging in unlawful activities and unruly behaviour. These station managers and controllers have already been issued ‘Authorized For Penalty’ identity cards, which have to be displayed on demand.

DMRC is also planning to rope in volunteers of the Metro Citizens Forum to report cases of commuter misbehaviour so that action can be taken against such people. The volunteers have been asked to report all such cases to Metro staff present inside the stations.

Thousands of foreign visitors are expected to use the Metro during the Games scheduled in October later this year, and the Delhi Metro wants to maintain world-class civic standards in its trains and stations to welcome them. ‘‘The DMRC will continue with these measures on its system from now on, to ensure cases of spitting or defacement of the Metro are completely brought under control. About one million commuters use the Metro on any working day, and it is expected that two million commuters will be using the system by the time of the Commonwealth Games,’’ the spokesperson added.

Metro cracks down on passengers for spitting, littering

In order to ensure that the visitors during the Commonwealth Games find all Delhi Metro property clean, the Corporation has begun another drive to rein in commuters found spitting, littering or defacing Metro property.

According to officials, four special flying squads consisting of Metro officials have been created that are conducting surprise checks almost every day on different routes to catch erring commuters.

In March, the squads registered 195 cases of spitting and 62 cases of defacement.

“Thousands of foreign visitors are expected to use the Metro system during the Games, and we want to maintain world-class civic standards in all our trains and stations. For this, we are taking a number of measures to instill better civic sense among the commuters,” a DMRC spokesperson said.

“The station staff has been specifically directed to keep a close eye on commuters found spitting, littering or defacing the Metro premises. The station managers and controllers authorised to realise penalty from the offending commuters have already been issued ‘Authorised for Penalty’ identity cards.”

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has also roped in volunteers of the Metro Citizens’ Forum to report any passengers indulging in pushing others, jumping the queue, not allowing other passengers to board or disembark the trains and obstructing the closing of doors.

In addition to the Metro helpline number, the volunteers have also been given the mobile phone numbers of senior officials.

About one million commuters use the Metro on any working day and it is expected that two million commuters will be using the system by the time the Commonwealth Games begin.

Vili intends to compete at Games - manager

Valerie Vili's manager says the world champion shot putter still intends to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi despite renewed warnings of imminent terrorist attacks in India.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade has strengthened warnings to travellers to avoid popular markets and tourist attractions in Delhi and is urging New Zealanders in India to register with consular officials.

Nick Cowan says Vili plans to use tournaments in the coming months to build-up to the Games in October.

He says she will make a final decision about attending the Games later in the year.

Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games officials say it's too early to gauge the security risk in New Delhi.

The Government's major events security committee says the Games are six months away and the situation may have changed by then.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee says it will assess the situation as the Games get closer.

Commonwealth Games 'attractive' target for terrorists; no need to panic: Sheila Dikshit

Terrorists will try to destabilise the country and stop the holding of Commonwealth Games in Delhi, which has become an "attractive" target for them but there is no need to panic, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said today.

"Nobody's life will come to a standstill. And certainly no panic should be there. Of course the police, the home ministry and Lt governor are doing their best and they are doing their work (on this matter)," she said.

Her comments come in the backdrop of US, UK and Australia warning about "imminent terror attacks" in tourist-hubs in the
capital.

"Look I will tell you that Commonwealth Games would be an attractive target for them (terrorists). The aim of terrorists is to destabilise the country and show that the government cannot hold the Commonwealth games, Dikshit told NDTV.

Lt Governor Tejindar Khanna, when asked whether people should stay indoors, replied, "Nobody is saying that people should stay at home. Because that would be, I think, just acting out of fear psychosis."

The US, UK and Australia yesterday issued advisories, warning of "imminent" terror attacks in the capital, particularly in market places like Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and Chandni Chowk.

The national capital today remained under a security blanket in the wake of alerts of "imminent" terror strikes, with Delhi police deploying a major chunk of its manpower on the streets and crowded commercial centres.

Delhi development authority asks company to pay Rs 6 cr for slow pace of Commonwealth Games work

The Delhi Development Authority has asked a private company to pay a "compensation" of nearly Rs 6 crore for "slow progress" in the construction works related to Commonwealth Games.

The DDA asked the Sportina Payce Infrastructure Limited to pay Rs 5.74 crore for slow pace of construction of practice venue of swimming pool, fitness centre, weight-lifting, wrestling areas and athletic tracks for the Games, the civic body said in a reply to an RTI application.

"The performance guarantee and security deposit forfeited and Rs 5,74,98,025 levied as compensation against Sportina Payce Infrastructure Limited," the reply to activist S C Agrawal said.

The DDA in its reply to the application seeking to know the details of fines slapped on erring companies said the firm was also held responsible for slow progress of construction at Siri Fort stadium and was asked to pay over Rs 50 lakh as compensation.

Agrawal had filed its application with the Games Organising Committee which transferred it to different bodies involved in theconstruction work.

"Foundation work at Siri Fort Stadium of Badminton and Squash... for the slow progress, compensation of Rs 50,00,341 has been imposed against Sportina Payce Infrastructure Limited," the reply said.

The authority said all the projects under it will be completed before the Games and that no additional funds have been sought from the Central government by it.

The DDA, however, did not find any official responsible for the delay, the reply said.

In an earlier reply, the CPWD, which is another organisation involved in the construction works for the Commonwealth Games, said the cost of construction works of different venues has gone by almost 250%.

"The budget was revised on account of revised cost indices and escalation, change in scope of work as per the requirement of venue, various additions and deletions to make venue suitable for various standards and addition of service tax, quality assurance and contingencies," CPWD had said in its reply to Agrawal.

The Games will be held here from October 3 to 14.