Commonwealth Games tickets to be launched on August 25

The 2010 Commonwealth Games tickets will be finally available in retail outlets across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) from Wednesday.

The Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games have attracted the maximum interest, so far contributing 25 per cent of the sales.

Among the sporting events, hockey is the front-runner, accounting for 14 per cent of the tickets sold so far, followed by athletics at 11 per cent and gymnastics at 10 per cent. Swimming is at the fourth spot with 8 per cent share.

Apart from the Indian market, Australia leads the tally with maximum number of buyers for tickets followed by New Zealand and Britain.

Tickets can be bought from 20 selected Central Bank of India branches as well as seven nominated Hero Honda showrooms as well as the IRCTC outlet in Central Delhi. All the ticket related information regarding list of the outlets and booking is available on www.tickets.cwgdelhi2010.org

Apart from Delhi, tickets will also be available in Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad.

An added incentive for ticket-holders is free Metro and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) rides on the day of the event, including the Opening and Closing ceremonies, All ticket-holders will be allowed one to and fro ride on the Metro and DTC buses for that specific day.

Internet sales gave the initial fillip to the sales that began in June. The first phase of the three-phase ticket sale process was exclusively through the Commonwealth Games ticketing website, while second phase enables people to access the retail outlets as well.

At the retail outlets, direct purchases can be made and those holding vouchers can also procure actual tickets there. The third phase will give people access to venue outlets as well.

Indian PM determined for Games' success

India's Prime Minister has appointed a panel of officials to oversee the Commonwealth Games venues in New Delhi beset by delays and allegations of widespread corruption.

On August 14, less than 50 days from the Games' October 3 inauguration, Manmohan Singh said "no stone would be left unturned" to make the fortnight-long event a success even as it reeled under daily revelations by government watchdog committees and the media of inflated contracts being awarded with impunity.

But the panic gripping Singh's administration is that little seems to be in place for the Games, billed as the "coming-out" party for an economically buoyant India.

Large parts of Delhi over which the Games would be spread resemble building sites with huge dug-outs and piles of debris that render the city's normally traffic-choked roads even more unnegotiable in the ongoing monsoon downpour.

Many of the 11 main stadiums and 26 practice venues remain unfinished as do the athletes' village and related sites in the building of which nearly 42 labourers have died due appalling working conditions. Construction work by the incessantly scrapping agencies involved in the Games was continuing, leaving no time for either any trial runs to resolve inevitable glitches or to provide practice sessions for local athletes, despite the event having been awarded to India in 2003.

An indoor shooting range inaugurated two months ago suffered extensive damage after rain this month while the false ceiling of another sports complex was demolished in the same downpour necessitating, in some cases, entire floor replacements. Other sporting venues have sprung leaks.

And to make matters worse, federal weathermen have predicted heavy rain for the Games' duration in October.

Numerous unfinished infrastructure projects such as landscaping and approach roads were even unnerving Organisation Committee officials, prompting them in many cases to abandon them until after the Games.

Singh, meanwhile, has also ordered investigations into the graft charges.

The Central Vigilance Commission, the federal government's anti-corruption regulator, has identified at least 16 projects associated with the Games where financial irregularities are suspected.

The event, involving 71 nations, has also emerged as the costliest Commonwealth Games ever. Its original infrastructure and organising budget of US$2 billion ($2.8 billion) has risen more than 17.5 times.

Three senior officials have already been suspended over financial irregularities and new revelations of contractual wrongdoing emerge daily in newspapers and on TV.

Graft is suspected not only in awarding contracts but in the hiring or buying of equipment such as air conditioners, treadmills and even toilet and tissue paper.

Singh's decision was seen as a direct slight to Suresh Kalmadi, the head of the Games organising committee who, during the past few weeks, has faced strident calls from the media, sporting personalities and the Opposition to resign amid the scandals associated with the event.

For the first time in four decades, the Queen will miss the Games, sending Prince Charles as her representative instead.

Many in India are questioning whether the Queen is wary of inaugurating an event with the real potential of being an embarrassment.

When in Delhi, no pecking please!-CWG website offers outrageous travel tips to would-be visitors

The organisers of the Commonwealth Games are expecting a large number of foreigners to visit India during the Games but the list of dos and don’ts they have prepared can actually end up scaring them off.

In a series of tips provided in the ‘India Travel Tips’ section of the official website, the visitors have been asked to refrain from hugging and kissing, and wearing short skirts in India.

“The Western practice of a peck on the cheek as a form of greeting a lady or a grown up girl is JUST NOT DONE when you are in India unless you happen to be in “Westernized Indian” circles ... If you find the lady is not extending a hand shake, go for the Namastey,” reads an advisory.

“Be aware that public displays of affection (hugging, kissing) are generally not appreciated. However, it is common to see men showing affection and camaraderie on the roads and in villages throughout the country,” it added.

The organising committee has also warned the visitors about the lack of toilet facilities in this country and has asked them to carry their own tissue papers.

“In India, public toilet facilities are few and far between and outside of the hotels and restaurants can be of dubious cleanliness. We recommend taking every opportunity you can to use a clean toilet in hotels and restaurants and that you carry tissues/ wet wipes with you,” the advisory said.

One of the travel tips has also painted Indian health system in extremely poor light recommending several vaccinations before landing in India. “Recommended vaccinations are polio, tetanus, diphtheria, typhoid and hepatitis,” the website reads. “As you may need to take anti-malarial tablets, please consult your doctor or a travel clinic for the latest medical advice at least one month prior to your departure,” it added.

The website also gives tips on a dress code and what one should do if one visits a house in India.

“Modesty in dress is an important aspect of Indian life and, away from beaches, one should respect the local customs. This is especially important when visiting temples and religious sites, where trousers or full-length skirts should be worn and shoulders should be covered and in Sikh temples, your head must also be covered.

“If somebody has invited you home for dinner, carry with you a bottle of wine accompanied by a bouquet of flowers or at least a box of sweets or chocolate bar for the children ... People usually take their shoes off before entering a house and putting feet on the furniture is considered bad manners,” it reads.

The travellers have also been asked to use their bargaining powers as much as possible before buying things from roadside stalls.

“If you are buying from roadside stalls or hawkers be prepared to bargain. Start by offering half the price and settle for 60 per cent. Don’t bargain in proper shops especially those that display “Fixed Price” signs: that will be seen as bad manners,” the website said.

The travellers’ tips also had a dig at Delhi’s taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers for their unwillingness to accept fares as per the metres.

Warning the foreign tourists, it said: “Taxi and auto-rickshaws fares keep changing; therefore, they do not always conform to readings on metres. To avoid confusion, insist on seeing the latest fare chart available with taxi/ auto-rickshaw drivers and pay accordingly.

“For your safety, we suggest that you do not hire transportation from unlicensed or unapproved operators. We can provide you all types of transportation at very reasonable prices. Self-driven cars though available are not recommended as it is not advisable for you to drive on the Indian roads with all the traffic,” it read.

“Indians are curious by nature, so if you are stared at, please don’t mind. It is just curiosity,” reads another tip.

Games shadow over university campus

The University Community for Democracy, which has been protesting against displacement of students from Delhi University hostels owing to the Commonwealth Games, held a public meeting at the Arts Faculty here on Friday. The meeting was attended by scholars and teachers who spoke on the matter and other contentious Games-related issues.

The UCD, a grouping of concerned DU students and teachers formed to resist the “shrinking democratic space in the university”, also marked its ninth day of relay hunger strike on Friday. The organisation is demanding that students who have been displaced should be exempted from hostel fees for 2010-11 as well as no hike in overall fees owing to the upgrading of hostels. There is also a demand for regulation of rent in the university's neighbouring areas.

Grants of over Rs.1 crore have been given to each of the colleges to spruce up and renovate the hostels for the Games visitors. College authorities have alleged that the University Grants Commission does not give sufficient funds for the upkeep of the hostels and hence the money which is being made available for hostel renovation is a windfall.

The total number of visitors who are expected to be lodged in DU college hostels as well as a couple of other educational institutes is over 3,500. Visitors looking for budgetary accommodation will be lodged in these accommodations.

“The students may have to rough it out temporarily, but later on they will be able to use world-class facilities,” a college warden said. Some of the hostels in the university are rather old with leaking roofs, insufficient toilet facilities and small messes.

However, the fallout of the renovation process is that several students who come from outside the Capital to study have been displaced and are at the mercy of whimsical landlords who have raised the rents following increased demand for accommodation by the students.

Hostel residents were asked to vacate their rooms in June when renovation work was to begin. They will be given rooms only after October 14 once the Games are over .

The going rate for regular and AC rooms to be shared by three people during the admission season, which recently drew to a close, was Rs.7,000 and Rs.9,000 respectively to be paid by each student.

During the admission season, a few outstation students expressed uncertainty if they could study in Delhi University at all given the high costs.

A few colleges have tried to make some alternate arrangements for their students; a majority of students have been left to fend for themselves. A college hostel warden said: “We are planning to write to the Organising Committee and ask them to provide some financial relief for the displaced students. A sum of at least Rs.10,000 is required per student to live decently. ”

Whether the hostels are on track for the Games appears uncertain.

Deadline

The deadline for some hostels to be ready was reportedly August 15. Most of the hostels were not ready by this point and some have said that they will be ready by August 31.

However, a few college authorities have admitted that hostels will not be ready before September 15.

Asked if the hostels would be ready before the Games, many college authorities said they “hoped” or stated that the “hostels should be ready”. Barring one or two hostels, none could give a positive assurance that they would be ready on time.

Testing of equipment at CWG venues to begin on 1st Sept: GoM

All agencies involved in the preparation of the Commonwealth Games were on Friday directed by a Group of Ministers to hand over the venues to the Organising Committee by 31st August.

The testing of various equipment and networks to be installed will commence from 1st September, the GoM decided.

The GoM on Commonwealth Games which met here also considered the status of the venues and took note of the problems being faced.

"This will all fall into place by 31st August. The venues are already handed over. The network and technology that are to be installed will be installed by 31st August. The testing will commence on 1st September," Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Sindhu Shree Khullar told reporters after the meeting.

The venue of the archery finals will be held at the Yamuna Sports Complex instead of India Gate, it was decided by the Group headed by Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy.

It is learnt that security concerns at India Gate forced the authorities to shift the venue to the Yamuna Complex.

Khullar said the GoM took "all details" from the officers and tried to find out the prevailing deficiencies.

Besides, the GoM also discussed the housekeeping issues.

"Now other than that there were number of housekeeping issues which were discussed and the GoM was briefed on several items of pending work. The GoM is now committed to meet the deadlines," she said.

The meeting held "point by point" discussion on the Games Village and also the residential towers and their schedule of handovers to OC.

The readiness of the kitchen at the Village was also discussed in the meeting.

The meeting was attended by the Chief Minister of Delhi Shiela Dikshit, Lt-Governor Tejinder Khanna, Sports Minister M S Gill, Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, officials from DDA, PWD, CPWD and Delhi government among others.

The GoM was also took note about the movement of containers.

"Yesterday 120 containers were cleared. All other formalities including customs clearance are in place now. None of the containers are struck in ports. There are still some yet to arrive...customs clearance is now totally streamlined," she said.

Reddy said they focussed on technology networks today.

"Prasar Bharati, MTNL, TCIL have to get their act together before equipment could be inserted (at the venues).

Asked whether venues will be completed before the Games, he said "everything will be in time."

Games ambulances in need of emergency care

The emergency medical services  (EMS) needed for such a massive showpiece event as the Commonwealth Games, which will have top athletes from all over the world, is still in a rag-tag state.

The ambulances won't arrive till three weeks later, no training of manpower has begun and the jury is still out on whether the control room\software (the backbone of any such services) can be used for the EMS.

Contrast this with the London Olympics, an event scheduled for 2012. The London Ambulance began discussions on how to handle medical emergencies in 2007. The ambulance's website talks about regular training camps for paramedics and, according to newspaper articles, a blueprint for the EMS for the Olympics has long been prepared.

On Friday, the Delhi government's health department was in a huddle. Details were being worked on the conversion of the 31 Tempo Travellers acquired less than two days back into ambulances. Diwan Chand, secretary in the Delhi government's health department, told TOI: "We will provide 64 ambulances as promised. We are getting it done".

But this zip-zap-zoom acquisition seems to be coming at a premium - a charge Chand denied. The math, though, is there for all to calculate. Chand told TOI that "we are getting a basic ambulance at Rs 13 lakh and an advanced one for Rs 26 lakh". These figures are better than the previous quotations of a basic ambulance at Rs 30 lakh, he added.

But consider the figures mentioned in a document - 'Study of Emergency Response Service-EMRI Model' - prepared by the National Health Systems Resource Centre of the ministry of health and family welfare in 2009. The report states, "initially, the India-built ambulances would cost about Rs 21 lakh for the Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Rs 15 lakh for the basic life support (BLS)... but as the number of ambulances have gone up, the costs have come down to Rs 15 lakh for an ALS and Rs 11 for BLS". Thus, Delhi's quick-fix seems to certainly come at a premium.

The Delhi ambulance story is laced with crises. It was in 2008 that the Sheila Dikshit government announced its plans to set up Centralised Accident & Trauma Services (CATS) with a fleet of 150 ambulances that would be ready in time for the CWG. But the batch fleet of ambulances was rejected due to technical reasons.

Thereafter, little happened in 2009 and 2010. "We do have 35 basic ambulances as of now but not all are in a working condition. And to be fair to us, we did keep releasing tenders but didn't get appropriate response," said a Delhi government official.

Chand blames the "cartelization" among ambulance suppliers for the mess. "We have managed to get a decent quotation only in the last 10 days," he said.

Now the emergency plan for the CWG EMS is thus: the 31 tempos that the Delhi government has procured in the last two days will be refurbished into ambulances over the next three weeks. The remaining 33 ambulances needed for CWG will be "borrowed" from Delhi's elite hospitals such as the Fortis, Max and Apollo chains. Affan Atiq of Apollo Hospitals in Delhi said, "Yes, we have been asked to provide ambulances and we will provide as many as the government wants".

But what about the training that is needed for a quick response in times of medical emergencies? Only the Games will tell.

CWG: Fennell, Hooper pushed through dodgy SMAM deal

Remember the Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee's controversial deal with Australia-based Sports Marketing & Management (SMAM)? The one that was hurriedly scrapped when it was discovered that SMAM was getting money for jam - a commission, ranging between 15 and 23%, not only on sponsorships brought by it for the Games but also on sponsorships coming to the Games anyway, like money from PSUs?

Well, it now transpires that the deal was pushed through by none other than those who are monitoring the Games - the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Mike Fennell and the CGF CEO Mike Hooper. These two top officials brushed aside the objections raised by the CGF vice-president Tunku Imran and virtually made their approval conditional on the Rs 200-crore contract being given to SMAM.

According to internal documents in TOI's possession, the agreement with SMAM came up for discussion at the OC's executive board meeting of June 7, 2006. Mike Fennell felt that “the Board may take a decision in principle approving the appointment of M/S Sports Marketing & Management for the sponsorship and commercial rights and M/S Fast Track for International Broadcasting rights based on their experience, past track record and their offer.”

His deputy, Mike Hooper, concurred. Not just that, Hooper pointed out that the OC required “CGF approval in relation to the appointment of any agencies for the exploitation of sponsorship and television rights” and added that if SMAM was being given the deal “this approval would be forthcoming.”

At this point, Tunku Imran put in a word of caution, saying the “OC should not put all its eggs in one basket.” But the majority carried the day and two of the OC's most controversial deals were thus signed. The deal with Fast Track for broadcasting right is already under fire from the CAG, while the deal with SMAM was summarily terminated on August 6.

The person who signed the deal with SMAM on OC's behalf was secretary general Lalit Bhanot. Bhanot has been on networks as OC boss Suresh Kalmadi's spokesman ever since the Games scandals surfaced, often denying wrongdoings, or minimizing them, and when unable to do so in the face of overwhelming evidence, deflecting guilt on to other OC officers.

Fennell, currently in India, was initially very critical of the Games preparations, but is now one of its stoutest defenders. Even on Thursday, he claimed here that all mega-events like CWG 2010 have these kind of troubles in their run-up, conveniently overlooking Beijing's super-preparedness for the Olympics or even the fact that Glasgow, which will host the Commonwealth Games in 2014, has already readied some of the facilities.

As it turned out, SMAM was an abject failure in getting sponsors for the Games. In three years since the OC signed the agreement with it on July 25, 2007, it was able to bring just two sponsors - Hero Honda for Rs 37 crore and Coca Cola for Rs 18 crore. Against this performance, the OC in its balance sheet had made provision of paying Rs 184.48 crore to SMAM as commission.

An exasperated head of revenue of OC, V K Saksena, had pointed in an internal note in February 2010 that SMAM was inept even in basic skill sets required for the job. Saksena listed out a host of problems with SMAM: “They couldn't find any international or multinational sponsors despite their claims; failure to evaluate business opportunity and do even basic assessments; lacked adequate and qualified staff for client servicing; while SMAM blamed their failures on security threat and problems with Delhi preparations.”

R25 cr archery stadium: Is it missing the target?

Has the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) built a R25 crore archery stadium that was never needed? The Archery Association of India’s (AAI) answer is an emphatic yes. “It’s a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money and went through only because of the corruption in the system,” AAI secretary general Paresh Nath Mukherjee told HT.
He said the AAI did not want  a new stadium to be built. “The AAI felt it would a huge waste of money. Existing greens with temporary spectator stands would have been good enough,” Mukherjee said.

The AAI’s opinion, initially put forward in 2009, was not accepted by the OC and Delhi Development Authority. The new stadium was built despite the fact that originally, only the preliminary rounds were to be conducted on its premises. The finals were to be held at India Gate, which the OC called an ‘iconic venue’. The Delhi Police, however, put paid to that plan, denying permission.

“Nowhere in the world is a venue built just to host the prelims of an event. Not for the Olympic Games, or any other competition,” said Mukherjee.

Mukherjee blamed the firm Event Knowledge Services (EKS) for the stadium’s construction. EKS, hired by the OC, is under a cloud after allegations surfaced that its owner, has a conflict of interest, since he is also member of the Games Coordination Committee.

OC secretary general Lalit Bhanot refuted this, saying: “The archery stadium was built on the recommendation of the archery world body FITA.”

“If we have to conduct a world-class event, we need top quality venues,” Bhanot added.

Typically, in archery, temporary venues are used, even in events like the Olympics, because such stadia can’t be used for other purposes. Archery events take place very infrequently, and the “legacy value” would be minimal.

At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, for example, the archery venue was a part of the Olympic Greens, and was a temporary venue that later became part of the post-Games recreation centre. The venue had a capacity of 5,348 and successful hosted events.

“There is very little difference between construction of a temporary and a permanent structure in terms of costs,” Bhanot said. “There’s just a 20 percent difference. We wanted this to be an archery venue as a legacy of the Games so we have erected this structure.”

The Yamuna Sports Complex archery stadium is owned by the Delhi Development Authority, who commissioned the project to Construction Catalysers Pvt Ltd.

The venue can seat 1,500 spectators and is meant to hold similar events in the future.

Delhi will not see the baton relay

The Queen's Baton, which is travelling in grand processions in cities and towns across the country, will stay off the Capital's roads. The Group of Ministers (GoM) overseeing the Commonwealth Games preparations on Friday decided to keep the Queen's Baton off Delhi roads to minimise inconvenience
to the general public.

"Since a procession would involve blocking the road for a significant period of time, we thought it might be too much for the people to bear," a government source said.

The Queen's Baton Relay 2010 Delhi, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held ahead of the Games. It symbolises peace, harmony and brotherhood through sports.

The official said the ministerial panel decided to receive the Baton at the Delhi-Gurgaon border at a grand function

and take it to the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee headquarters for public display.

Similarly, the Queen's Baton would — over the next few days — be taken to iconic locations such as Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Raj Ghat and the Parliament. Cultural events would be organised on a limited scale.

All rooms won't be ready before games

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has admitted that it will be able to deliver only half the rooms that it had promised in Vasant Kunj where Games delegates are to be accommodated.  At Friday's meeting of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on Commonwealth Games, DDA officials said that of the 3,179 upcoming flats in Vasant Kunj, they would be able to deliver just 1,600 of the promised rooms before the Games.

"The DDA has said by September 10 they will be able to provide just 1,600 rooms where the Games technical

officials will be accommodated," said Sindhushree Khullar, secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.  

An embarrassing situation considering that the delegates will start arriving in the Capital from September 15 onwards.

The EGoM also decided that testing of equipment at all Commonwealth Games venues will begin on September 1.

"We have directed all agencies involved in the preparation of the Commonwealth Games to hand over the venues to the Organizing Committee by August 31," said Khullar.

The developmetn authority was tasked to convert 3,179 of its upcoming flats in Vasant Kunj, a upscale locality in south-west Delhi, and Jasola in south Delhi to service apartments after it became clear last year that the 33 hotel sites that it auctioned won't be ready in time for the games.

Besides Union Urban Development minister S. Jaipal Reddy, the EGoM was attended by the Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit, Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna, Union Sports minister M S Gill, Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar among others.

Planning goes down the drain

The R 30,000-crore makeover Delhi is getting for the Commonwealth Games includes everything — flyovers, underpasses, subways, bus stations and even waterless toilets. But it lacks one crucial element: the veins of the city — its drainage system. The long-forgotten drainage system is now  crumbling. And along with it are the roads.

Old drainage system

A major part of the drainage system was constructed four decades back. Though cosmetic changes were made, nothing substantial has been done yet.

In areas such as North Delhi and the Walled City, the drain network is very old and needs to be fixed immediately. Many areas are not even linked to the drainage system.

In 2006, the Municipal Corporation of Dehli (MCD) proposed to hire private consultants to restructure the system but the plan never took off. The civic agency now claims it is taking the help of all other agencies to prepare a comprehensive drainage plan.

"The existing drains can't handle the pressure. There is a need to make a master plan for drainage too. However, all agencies need to co-ordinate to make it a success," said Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney.

Construction waste

The frenzied construction work is choking the storm-water drains. "The construction agencies leave the debris at the site and it enters the drains whenever it rains. All our efforts to clean the drains go futile," said a senior official.

The civic agency had identified 168 designated sites where construction waste could be dumped. But that has not helped as they are all located near footpaths and main roads and end up blocking traffic.

People to be blamed

People are covering rainwater outlets beside footpaths to create parking space.

Also, civic agencies constructing new footpaths have forgotten to create openings, obstructing the flow of water.

"The entire Hans Raj Gupta Marg in Greater Kailash-I has no outlets along the footpath. In such a situation, waterlogging is bound to take place," said Rajiv Kakaria, a resident of Greater Kailash I.

"Drains are designed to carry only of 0.5 cusecs of water per acre but the amount carried by them is almost double now," said a senior NDMC official.

Delhi dampener on cards for Commonwealth Games

The sporting event which India hoped would herald its emergence as a regional power and serve as a springboard to an Olympic bid has instead turned into a chaotic mess.

Less than seven weeks before New Delhi is to host to the Commonwealth Games, venues are still under construction, top officials have been forced out in scandal, costs have soared and many are questioning the wisdom of spending so much money on an event in a nation riddled with social ills.

To make matters worse, many top athletes, including Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter, pulled out and even England’s Queen Elizabeth II has said she will not come to the Games, which brings together 71 countries of the Commonwealth, or the former British Empire.

After China showcased its economic clout during an impressive Beijing Olympics, India’s Commonwealth Games organisers were under pressure to deliver a comparable spectacle to promote “India Rising”.

Instead, the bungling of the preparations for the Games has highlighted corruption and malaise that continues to plague the nation, said Harsh V Pant, a political analyst. “When it comes to implementation, I don’t think India has moved an inch from where we used to be,” he said.

Hoping to stem the cascade of problems, Manmohan Singh, the prime minister, stepped in last weekend, ordering a probe and appointing a group of cabinet ministers to oversee the final preparations and try to salvage the event.

The move came as criticism of the Games, to be held in New Delhi from October 3 to 14, reached fever pitch, with everything from traffic jams to mosquito breeding blamed on preparations.

The Times of India showed Shera, the Games’ cartoon tiger mascot, on a respirator, and a former sports minister publicly hoped the Games would collapse in disarray so India would not be tempted to bid for future events.

Sheila Dikshit, Delhi’s chief minister, called the broadsides “unpatriotic”. “I plead with people to look at the better side of the Games – the rest will fall into place,” she told The Sunday Express.

But the problems are hard to ignore. Venues that were supposed to be completed last year to allow for test events, are still in what officials promise is the final phase of construction.

The Shivaji stadium in central Delhi, which is to be used as a practice field for hockey teams, has been stripped down, its facade left with gaping holes as hundreds of workers navigated large piles of red bricks, gray concrete blocks and rusting reinforcing rods.

A four-kilometre road-bridge connecting the athletes’ village to the main stadium has gaps in it. “We have to accept where we are and look forward,” Mike Hooper, the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, who is in New Delhi helping oversee the preparations, said. “Everyone’s got a lot of work to do, and that’s what they’ve got to focus on.”

Much of central Delhi remains torn up by projects that had been intended to beautify the city for the 100,000 foreign tourists the Games committee had anticipated. Many of the projects are so far behind schedule they are being covered up, to be worked on again after the event. And there are doubts the tourists are even coming.

The cost of hosting the Games – which the government initially pegged at less than $100 million (Dh367m) in 2003 – has skyrocketed, with estimates ranging from $3 billion to more than $10 billion.

Meanwhile, ticket sales have been delayed, sponsorships have not met expectations and the official merchandiser has pulled out, saying delays in launching his products were costing him unbearable losses. On Thursday, two power companies announced they were cancelling their multi-million dollar sponsorship deals with the event.

Three top officials were sacked this month over alleged financial irregularities with the London launching of the Queen’s Baton Relay – a month-long odyssey akin to the Olympic torch relay.

As part of a drive to clean up the city ahead of the event, the government demolished thousands of slum homes and arrested homeless people, according to a coalition of human rights groups.

The event has turned into an embarrassment for a country that should be focusing instead on fixing its medical and education system and dealing with the hundreds of millions mired in poverty, said Rajan Singh, 29, a software engineer. “With a developing country like India, we need to invest in other infrastructure,” he said. “Once that is complete, we can go for Games like this.”

Weeks out, India's Commonwealth Games in crisis

An international sporting event which India hoped would herald its emergence as a regional power and serve as a springboard to an Olympic bid is instead struggling with a host of issues as the clock ticks down to opening ceremonies.

Less than seven weeks before New Delhi is to play host to the Commonwealth Games, venues are still under construction, top officials have been forced out in scandal, costs have soared and many are questioning the wisdom of holding the event in a nation riddled with social ills.

To make matters worse, many top athletes have pulled out - Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt decided not to come even before his recent back injury - and even the queen of England has said she won't be coming to the games, which bring together the 71 countries of the Commonwealth, or former British Empire.

With rival China showcasing its economic clout during the Beijing Olympics, India's Commonwealth Games organizers were under pressure to deliver a comparable spectacle to promote "India Rising" - the nation taking its place as a major economic and political force in Asia.

Instead, the bungled preparations for this second-tier sports festival have highlighted the government corruption and malaise that continues to plague the nation, said Harsh V. Pant, a political analyst.

"When it comes to implementation, I don't think India has moved an inch from where we used to be," he said.

Hoping to stem the cascade of problems, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stepped in last weekend, ordering a corruption probe and appointing a group of cabinet ministers to oversee the final preparations and try to salvage the event.

The move came as criticism of the games, to be held in New Delhi from Oct. 3-14, reached a new high, with everything from traffic jams to mosquito breeding blamed on them.

The Times of India newspaper showed Shera, the games' jaunty, cartoon tiger mascot, on a respirator, and a former sports minister publicly said he hoped the event would collapse in disarray so India would not be tempted to bid for future events.

"There has to be a reckoning for all this," The Asian Age newspaper demanded in an editorial.

Delhi's chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, called the broadsides "unpatriotic."

"I plead with people to look at the better side of the games - the rest will fall into place," she told The Sunday Express newspaper.

But the problems are hard to ignore.

Venues that were supposed to be done last year to give organizers time to test them and fix any problems, are still in what officials promise is the final phase of construction, leaving no time to hold serious test events.

Workers are still building the corrugated tin roof at the new weightlifting arena, which partially collapsed after springing a leak during the recent monsoon rains.

The Shivaji stadium in central Delhi, which is to be used as a practice facility for field hockey teams, has been stripped down, its facade left with gaping holes as hundreds of workers navigated large piles of red bricks, gray concrete blocks and rusting reinforcing rods.

A 2.5-mile-long road and bridge connecting the athletes village to the main stadium has gaps in it.

"We have to accept where we are and look forward," said Mike Hooper, the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, who is in New Delhi helping oversee the preparations. "Everyone's got a lot of work to do, and that's what they've got to focus on."

Much of central Delhi remains torn up by projects that had been intended to beautify the city for the 100,000 foreign tourists the games committee had anticipated. Many of the projects are so far behind schedule they are being covered up, to be worked on again after the event.

And there are doubts the tourists are even coming.

Hotels that expected to be sold out have received anemic bookings for the games and regular tourists seem to be deferring travel during what would usually be high season to avoid the spectacle, said Rajindera Kumar, president of Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India.

"The response is so weak," he said. "I'm really fearing for the industry."

The cost of hosting the games - which the government initially pegged at less than $100 million in 2003 - has skyrocketed, with estimates ranging from $3 billion to more than $10 billion.

A recent report by a government watchdog said contractors were charging unreasonable rates, producing shoddy work and fabricating tests to show the quality of their construction was up to the standard.

Meanwhile, sales of tickets have been delayed, sponsorships have not met expectations and official merchandiser Premium Brands pulled out, saying delays in launching its products were causing unbearable losses. On Thursday, two power companies announced they were canceling their multimillion dollar sponsorship deals with the event.

Three top officials were fired this month over alleged financial irregularities with the London launching of the Queen's Baton Relay - a monthslong odyssey akin to the Olympic torch relay. That came a week after the organizing committee's treasurer resigned amid accusations his son's firm was given a contract to help build the tennis courts.

As part of a drive to clean up the city ahead of the event, the government demolished thousands of slum homes and arrested homeless people and beggars, according to a coalition of human rights groups.

At the venue sites, construction workers earned just half the minimum wage, were not given helmets, gloves or other safety gear and worked in conditions so dangerous that 42 of them were killed in accidents, the coalition said.

"Even if the games are a success, even if we are miraculously able to pull out a successful games, the negative social legacy is going to be with us for years to come," said Miloon Kothari, director of the Housing and Land Rights Network, one of the groups in the coalition.

Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress Party, said Thursday that all the allegations would be investigated after the closing ceremonies. In the meantime, she called on Indians to unite behind the games, the biggest sporting event to be held here since the 1982 Asian Games.

"The prestige of the nation is involved," she said.

But the event has turned into an embarrassment for a country that should be focusing instead on fixing its medical and education system and dealing with the hundreds of millions mired in poverty, said Rajan Singh, a 29-year-old software engineer.

"With a developing country like India, we need to invest in other infrastructure," he said. "Once that is complete, we can go for games like this."

Reddy asks Army not to charge facilities provided for Games

The Urban development ministry has sought the assistance of defence minister A K Antony to ensure the Army does not charge the Organising Committee for certain facilities provided by it during the Commonwealth Games.

OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi said the chairman of the Group of Ministers for CWG Jaipal Reddy has written a letter to A K Antony requesting him to ask the Army not to charge for certain facilities it was providing during the Games, scheduled to begin in October.

"... So they have agreed to do somethings free of charge, for some, they will charge," said Kalmadi.

It is learnt that in his letter, Urban development minister Reddy has requested Antony that the Army should not charge the Organising Committee (OC) for allowances for the officers and jawans who are on duty for the sporting event.

Reddy has also sought waiving off charges for Army facilities being used by artists for the Opening Ceremony -- places where they will practice and stay.

When contacted, Reddy, however, said though he had written the letter he did not remember the contents.

"I did write to the Defence Minister not to charge for certain things. Those details I am unable to recall," he said.

Kalmadi said, "We have asked for the support of Army and it has been good enough to lend us support throughout the baton relay, for opening and closing ceremony. They are giving us lot of personnel and we are very happy with it."

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel wins India's home series sponsorship rights

As organizers of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi struggle to hold on to sponsors, the Indian cricket board on Friday announced a new sponsor for its home matches.

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel was awarded the team's home series sponsorship rights for three years.

India cricket board secretary N. Srinivasan said Bharti Airtel won the rights with a bid of 33 million rupees ($700,000) per test, one-day international or Twenty20 match.

The reserve price for the bid was 20 million rupees ($425,000) per match.

The rights were previously owned by sports management firm World Sports Group, which used to sell them on to various corporate sponsors. World Sports Group did not bid this time.

Earlier this year, Bharti Airtel lost its bid for the team sponsorship rights to Sahara India group.

Cricket attracts lucrative sponsorships in India due to a paucity of stars in other disciplines. The Commonwealth Games were seen as an opportunity, but adverse publicity in the run-up to the October event seem to have robbed it of the chance.

The National Thermal Power Corporation and the Power Grid Corporation of India on Thursday backed out of sponsorship commitments of 200 million rupees ($4 million) and 100 million rupees ($2 million) respectively.

Will see credentials before giving Rs 100 cr for CWG: Mamata

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the Railways would first see the ''credentials'' of the Commonwealth Games oganisers and then release the Rs 100 crore sponsorship money.

Replying to the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Appropriation (Railways) No 4 Bill, 2010, the Minister said because of the budget, the provision had to be made.

She said the Railways had committed the money
as they were the lead partners of the Commonwealth Games.

''We are committed...we are the lead partners of the Commonwealth Games...we will see the credentials first.

But because of the budget, we will have to keep the provision,'' Ms Banerjee said in her reply.

The Railways, which have committed Rs 100 crore for the CWG sponsorship, witheld the amount after the alleged financial scam in the CWG broke out. They said they would give the money only if it directly goes to the CWG and not through any mediator.

Games sponsorship money was not compulsory, says Deshmukh

A day after asking PSUs to hold back the sponsorship money for Commonwealth Games, Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Friday said spending money for the sporting event was not compulsory for the public sector units. "Sponsorship was not compulsory, it was voluntary. It was left to the PSUs and
they should take their decision," Deshmukh said today.

While most of the corporate houses have shied away from the Games, the latest directives to the PSUs could be a severe jolt to the crisis-ridden Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games.

"Earlier we have appealed to PSUs for sponsorship but now after these controversy surfacing, I have asked them to hold on," he said adding "currently there are certain issues regarding corruption being raised. Once things settled down clear... the PSUs can go ahead with sponsorship."

Deshmukh on Thursday said his ministry has asked PSUs to hold back sponsorship money totalling up to Rs 260 crore for the event.

NTPC and PowerGrid have also held back Rs 40 crore sponsorship money out of a combined committed sum of Rs 60 crore for the event, while the Railways, the lead partner of the Games, has also sought clarifications before releasing money.

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said her ministry would ascertain the credentials of the Commonwealth Games expenditure before releasing the sponsorship money.

"This is an important issue. Rupees 100 crore was promised in the Railway Budget. But we have not yet worked out the modalities of how the funds should be given for CWG," Mamata has said in the Lok Sabha.

On Thursday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said those found guilty of corruption in works related to the Games would be punished after the event.

Indian tennis stars demand dues before CWG

More trouble is in the offing for the Commonwealth Games  - this time from India's top tennis players who have reportedly demanded their dues to be cleared before confirming their participation for the high-profile Games to be held in New Delhi from October 3 to 14.

It has been reliably learned that top Indian tennis players, including Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna have signed a letter demanding the payment of pending dues.

The players claim the dues, dating back to 2008, are yet to be cleared.

The CWG has already been under a scanner due to the corruption allegations against the members of the Organising Committee, along with several incomplete Games' projects.

C'wealth Games organisers vow to clean up act

Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael Fennell criticised the mess around the village on Thursday after a two-day inspection of the venues for the October 3-14 Games in the Indian capital.

“I feel some buildings in the village could have been done better,” Fennell told reporters.

“The international zone of the village, like the dining room and kitchen, is behind time.

“The sanitation has to improve and the hygiene has to be of the highest standards. There is need to address the roads around the village, the landscaping and the cleanliness.”

Lalit Bhanot, secretary-general of the Indian organising committee and chief spokesman, said Fennell’s concerns had been passed on to the relevant authorities looking after the village.

“We are giving priority to ensure the athletes do not face any trouble at the village. It will be a world-class facility when they arrive next month,” Bhanot told AFP.

Fennell, who also inspected all 17 sports venues for the Games, said he was pleased with the progress that had been made, but that there remained a lot of work to do in the next 44 days before the event opens.

“I leave Delhi feeling reassured that the preparations are solid, but I also leave with the knowledge that a tremendous amount still needs to be done,” he said.

“It’s been a long journey over the last six-and-a-half years, but the last lap is the most important part of the journey.”

He said that organisers had been told about concerns over catering and transport for the athletes and officials, but he was confident everything would be in place before the October 3 opening ceremony.

The event, already the most expensive Commonwealth Games in history at around three billion dollars, has been marred by charges of rampant corruption, dubious contracts and poor workmanship.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government has virtually taken over supervision of the preparations, with senior bureaucrats reporting on a daily basis to the cabinet secretariat.

Meanwhile, in a further blow to the beleaguered organisers, the government ordered state-run companies to hold back sponsorship money worth 2.6 billion rupees earmarked for the Games.

“We have already asked public-sector units to hold on to the funds,” heavy industry minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was quoted as saying in the Indian media on Friday.

On Thursday, two major state-run power firms, NTPC and Powergrid, said they will withhold eight million dollars of combined sponsorship and demanded an audit of the four million dollars they had already put into the event.

The Games, India’s biggest sporting festival since the Asian Games in 1982, will feature athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and territories, in 17 disciplines.

Oct 14 is CWG holiday for Haryana's Gurgaon

The Haryana government Friday announced that Oct 14 will be observed as a public holiday in the entire Gurgaon district in view of the closing ceremony of the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG).

Haryana Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati said the state government has decided to observe Oct 14 as a public holiday in all its public offices, including educational institutions, boards and corporations, situated within the limits of Gurgaon district, on account of the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Games, the biggest sporting event to be held in India so far, are being held in New Delhi Oct 3-14 this year.

Queen's Baton Relay to reach Kochi on August 29

Queen's Baton for the Commonwealth Games will reach here on August 29.

The Kochi leg of the relay will start from the synthetic track at the Maharaja's College, and will be carried by 81 people, including a galaxy of olympians and other celebrities during the rest of the day, Dr M Beena, Ernakulam district collector, told mediapersons here.

The open vehicle carrying the baton that will set off from Maharaja's College will pass through the naval base, Jewish Synagogue, St Francis Church before reaching the Bolghatty Palace.

The relay would culminate at Regional Sports Centre here on the same day, she said.

Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton in Port Blair

The Queen's Baton relay for the XIX Commonwealth Games was held here from National Memorial Cellular Jail.
The Lt governor of Andaman and Nicobar Island Lt Gen (Retd) Bhopinder Singh started it by running some distance carrying the Queen's Baton and then handing it over to the chief secretary, Vivek Rae for forward journey of the Baton by eminent personalities and sports persons to various parts of the town culminating at Netaji Stadium yesterday.

Earlier, the president, A&N State Olympic Association, G Bhaskar received the Queen's baton from the additional director general, organising committee, XIX Commonwealth Games, Lt Gen (Retd) Raj Kadian and handed over the Queen's Baton to the Lt governor for starting the relay.

The member of Parliament, BP Ray, senior officers of the civil administration and defence forces, prominent sports persons and citizens of the Islands were also present on the occasion.