CWG a 'circus' but could have curbed Naxalism in Jharkhand: Aiyar

Terming the upcoming Commonwealth Games a 'circus', former Union Minister for sports Mani Shankar Aiyar today said the Games, nevertheless, could have been organised in regions like Jharkhand and curbed the growth of Naxalism there.

He was interacting with mediapersons on the sidelines of a seminar on 'Communal Harmony and Indian National Congress' organised by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) as a part of the celebration of 125th anniversary of the Congress.

Quizzed whether spending a huge amount on an 11-day event was justified in a city where many people did not have a roof, he said, ''The Games are a circus and crores of rupees are being carelessly spent on them. It is against Gandhian teachings, principles and sentiments,'' he added.

'' Delhi is one of the most prosperous regions in India. It would have been better if the Games had been organised in backward regions like Jharkhand,'' Mr Aiyar said.

He also said, ''The huge investment in the infrastructure in such states could trigger development and curb Naxalism.'' The leader has been vocal about his views regarding the Games. As the country's Union Minsiter for Sports in 2007, he had said, ''Whether you organise the Commonwealth Games in Delhi or in Melbourne, the state of people living in the colonies right opposite the Games site will remain the same.'' Asked to comment on Mr Aiyar's statement, DPCC president Jai Prakash Agarwal diplomatically said, '' The views were personal and I had nothing to say on the issue.''

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

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

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

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

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

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

Official logo for 2014 Games has a familiar ring

It’s taken nine months, eight people, three offices and £95,000, but the result is – the new brand logo for Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Against a backdrop of fireworks and special effects, the new design was unveiled at a ceremony in Glasgow yesterday in front of more than 1,000 invited guests, dignitaries and local schoolchildren at the Clyde Auditorium.

More than 60 design agencies from around the world competed for the high-profile contract to design the logo, with Glasgow-based Marque Creative eventually being chosen.

Costing far less than the £400,000 it cost to design the London 2012 Olympic logo, the brand is expected to become a common sight across the city in the build up to the Games.

Unveiling the logo, John Scott, chief executive of the organising committee, said: “I believe it is a classic piece of graphic design.”

The 20th Commonwealth Games is represented in red, the 17 sports are represented in yellow, the 11 days by blue and the one host city by the use of a Green G in the middle of the concentric circles.

Robert Smith, chairman of the organising committee, described it as a “new icon for Glasgow” and believes the unveiling marks the start of a significant year for the Games.

He said: “2010 is a year in which very visible progress towards the delivery of the Games will be evident. The National Indoor Sports Arena and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in the east end will start to rise up out of the ground and the site for the athletes’ village will be cleared.”

The aim of the logo is to offer its exclusive use to companies to generate income through sponsorship. Mr Scott added: “We now need to raise the revenue required to help stage the games through selling rights to the brand identity as sponsorship.”

Mark Noe, managing director of Marque Creative, said: “We are privileged to have had the opportunity to create the brand identity for such a significant event as the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The identity is one which is grounded in integrity and design rigour and we are proud of the legacy that it will leave behind for Glasgow and Scotland.

“We hope that the identity will become an iconic symbol celebrating a very special moment in time – and will become synonymous with quality, achievement and vision.”

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon added: “The new brand is much more than a marketing logo. Over the next four years everyone will become familiar with this distinctive brand and begin to identify with it.

“We want this unique design to inspire all Scots to get behind the Games and see Glasgow 2014 as an event for the whole country.”

All projects to be completed before Commonwealth Games: Chauhan

PWD Minister Rajkumar Chauhan today said his department was fully alert and prepared to complete all its projects before the beginning of the Common Wealth Games.

Mr Chauhan, who visited the construction sites of Apsara Border flyover, directed all agencies concerned to work in tandem to ensure commissioning of projects at the earliest. He further directed the Railways and PWD officers to resolve critical issues relating to land acquisition, tree cutting and traffic diversion etc. The Minister, who was accompanied by PWD ENC Rakesh Mishra and Project Manager concerned and many other senior engineers, assured that PWD would maintain quality and try to live up to the expectation of the people. After inspecting the construction work going on at all the projects, Mr Chauhan told mediapersons that the three layer Grade Separator being built at GT Road Junction at Apsara Border would cost Rs 226 crore.

The GT road at Apsara Border caters to large volume of traffic from ISBT to UP and vice versa. The construction of flyover on the road has been proposed to relief to the traffic on both sides. Flyover would help the traffic movement from Delhi and Ghaziabad. There is a proposal to build three lanes Grade Seperator at this crossing. Of 645-meter long flyover, about 300 meter portion grade separator will be in UP. Apart from this, two Vehicular Underpass have been constructing alogn road no 62 and 56 to provide direct access to the traffic Dilshad Garden to ISBT Anand Vihar. A 860-meter long underpasses below the Delhi-Ghaziabd Railway line will also be built for which Push Boxes have been proposed under the Railway line. About 70 per cent of the work on this project has been completed and the main flyover will open in April for commuters while its two underpasses, which are under construction, would be ready by June 2010.

Mr Chauhan said the all Commonwealth Games related projects would be completed within stipulated time as constant monitoring is being done to accelerate the pace of work.

Bricks for Bread and Milk

In New Delhi there are upwards of 100 construction projects underway in preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games scheduled to take place from Oct. 4 to 13.

These projects -- ranging from several new stadiums to a new international airport terminal -- are drawing vast numbers of migrant workers from all over India to provide the extra labor needed. Contractors, already behind schedule, are taking advantage of lax labor laws and coercing their employees to bring their children to work alongside them, promising payments of bread and milk. Above an Indian girl carries a brick at a construction site in front of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Feb. 3.

Hotel rooms sans luxury tax for Games delegates

To support the conduct of the Commonwealth Games, the Delhi Cabinet on Monday decided to grant exemption from luxury tax for one month -- from September 16 to October 16 -- to hotel accommodation booked by the Organising Committee for delegates and technical experts.

Informing the decision, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said this exemption would apply to hotel accommodation booked by the Organising Committee for the Commonwealth Games for the delegates from the Commonwealth Games Federation, member-countries of the Commonwealth Games associations, technical experts of international sports federations and broadcasting and media right holders for the Games.

Ms. Dikshit said the decision has been taken as per the “Host City Contract” which states that the host city will make all reasonable endeavours to minimise the imposition of taxes on the import of supply and equipment required by the Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Games associations and accredited representatives.

She said the taxes here mean all taxes, duties and imports of the host country, the host State and host city.

Delhi hardsells 2010 Games at its pavilion

Inaugurating the Delhi Pavillion at the 29th India International Trade Fair, chief minister Sheila Dikshit took the opportunity to build momentum for the Commonwealth Games 2010 also the theme for this year's Delhi Pavillion. With Games mascot Shera dancing away at the entrance and the stalls inside highlighting all development works being carried out in the city, visitors will get a glimpse of the changing face of Delhi.

"The theme has been selected with an aim to get ready for a big international sports event. The pavillion will help inculcate a sense of pride among people so that Delhi can host a successful Commonwealth Games,'' Dikshit said.

The Delhi Pavillion is showcasing the all-round development that has taken place in the city over the past 10 years. From Metro, AC buses to infrastructure development, visitors get a glimpse of all under one roof. Industries minister Haroon Yusuf, finance minister Dr AK Walia and health minister Prof Kiran Walia accompanied Dikshit around the pavillion.

The chief minister stated that due to constraints of space, the state government has not been able to put up enough stalls to showcase its achievements in all the major fields. "However, achievements in the field of Mission Convergence, environment, education, transport, health, water supply, IT, industries, social welfare, art & culture, bhagidari, etc, have been disseminated in a forceful manner,'' she emphasised.

A stall put up by the Tihar Central Jail attracted visitors in large numbers. A number of private traders and companies have also put up their stalls which are selling handicraft items among other things.

Later at a press conference, the CM stated that the first ever industrial policy of Delhi was almost ready and will be cleared by the Cabinet and brought before the legislative Assembly. This will be first ever industrial policy of Delhi after the capital was given the present set up of a legislative Assembly and a council of ministers.

The new policy would concentrate on IT, service sector and electronic industries as non-polluting industry is allowed to be set up in the Capital city. Dikshit expressed confidence that the new industrial policy will give fillip to economic development.

Big budget security revamp for railway stations in Delhi, NCR

Within a year, important railway stations in and around the Capital will boast of security similar to the snazzy airports.

Work on a massive upgrade of the security arrangement at the 10 most important stations in Delhi and its neighbourhood has started with a sanctioned budget of more than Rs 23 crore.

Apart from mega-terminal stations like New Delhi, Old Delhi and Nizamuddin, satellite stations such as Ghaziabad and Anand Vihar too will come under the comprehensive security net.

The scale of the work -- with access control, scanning of baggage and interception and screening of vehicles to explosives-detection and disposal -will turn the stations into virtual fortresses.

The Integrated Security System, as the upgrade work is called, gains importance because of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

"We will be comfortably ready for the Commonwealth Games.
The sheer enormity of the deployment of security systems acts as a deterrent," said Vivek Sahai, general manager of Northern Railway.

Once the system is in place, all baggage will be screened through X-ray machines eliminating the need for manual check.

More security personnel will be carrying handheld metal and explosive detectors, while automatic machines will scan cars for bombs.

In terms of volume, it is a tenfold increase in the security arrangement. The salient feature of the plan is to bring the smaller stations like Delhi Sarai Rohilla, Delhi Cantonment and Shadara into the integrated security plan.

"The smaller stations have been the vulnerable spots in railway security, compromising the security of the bigger stations as well. Now we will plug those holes," said a senior railway official.

More than 223 security cameras are being brought in to weave a network of electronic surveillance .

Sahai said the revamp would also help during the Kumbh Mela, the biggest congregation of humans in the world, next year.

"The massive number of people using railways across North India will put tremendous pressure on security. The new system will help tackle that rush easily," he said

Cost of 2014 Commonwealth Games rises by 81 million pounds

The budget for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is to be increased by 81 million pounds.

The organising committee for the games said funding for the event would rise to a total of 454 million pounds.

The bulk of the extra cash will come from the Scottish government. The city council will provide an additional nine million pounds.

The Scottish government will contribute an additional 39 million pounds, plus a further 20 million pounds from a reserve fund.

A total of 13 million pounds will be raised through commercial activities.

Glasgow 2014 Limited, said a number of factors including legislative changes, and in particular rising broadcasting costs, had contributed to the budget increase.

The Scottish government will continue to make the case for the recovery of 150 million pounds lottery funds diverted from Scotland to pay for the London Olympics.

Shah Rukh wants to perform in CWG opening ceremony

The controversy-marred build-up notwithstanding, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan on Sunday said next year's Commonwealth Games here would be successful and expressed his desire to perform at the event's opening ceremony.

"God willing, I think India will hold a successful Commonwealth Games. I am confident about that," Khan told reporters on the sidelines of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon.

Khan said he would love to perform during the opening ceremony of the event at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium and would also come to watch some of the sporting events.

"I would love to perform (in the opening ceremony). It really sounds great. I will come during CWG. Get ready Dilliwalo," he said amid loud cheers from fans.

Khan said it was heartening to see such a large number of people braving the early morning chill to participate in the half marathon.

"I love you Delhiites, you were wonderful and I am overwhelmed," he said.

Khan also urged regular organisation of half marathons in other parts of the country to promote sports and said health permitting, he would participate in next year's half marathon.

"I have never participated in a marathon, but I would definitely love to do so. When I'll feel fit, then I'll come," Khan said.

"Sports is most important after education and we should promote it to the highest level. I love sports and want such events to be organised regularly. During my school days, I was very active in sports," he said.

Another Bollywood actor Rahul Bose said with every passing year, Delhi half marathon is getting bigger.

"This marathon has established itself as a brand and that is recognisable. Through this concept, you are also helping deprived and disadvantaged people of the society in a novel way," Bose said.

Sebastian Coe backs Cardiff Commonwealth Games bid

Sebastian Coe today backed Cardiff's bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, claiming that they stand a good chance.

The chairman of London 2012 said: "Wales is beginning to get a reputation for very high quality event management."

In recent years Cardiff has gained an impressive reputation for attracting and hosting major sporting events, including the Rugby World Cup final, FA Cup finals, world championship boxing and rallying, Grand Prix speedway and Ashes Test cricket.

The Ryder Cup will be held at the Celtic Manor Resort near Newport, next year.

The Commonwealth Games, however, would be the biggest sporting event ever hosted in Wales, with 71 teams from around the world and over 5,000 athletes.

The Welsh capital would be the central base for the Games, but facilities in both Swansea and Newport would also be used, under plans announced last month.

Coe told BBC Wales: "[Hosting the Games] It's not that far-fetched.

"If they have a really good coordinated programme, and obviously political and sporting support, you could see Wales do that again."

Delhi College Hostels to fulfill the accommodation crisis

Delhi Lt. Governor advises colleges to minimize activity during games

India may house thousands of athletes, officials and tourists participating in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in university hostel rooms normally meant for students because of a desperate accommodation crunch in its capital.

A sports ministry-appointed panel has identified 3,250 “suitable” hostel rooms across Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia and the Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology (NSIT) for the accommodation, top government officials told.

The identified hostels and campuses will now be upgraded or renovated to meet accommodation standards that will be available at the official Games Village, the government has decided based on the panel’s report, sources said.

Games organizers are likely to allocate a room to each participant athlete, official or tourist but officials are not ruling out the need to ask some to double up in the rooms.

The Games Village, under construction along the banks of the Yamuna, is expected to have a capacity of 8,500 athletes and officials. But the organizers fear they may need more accommodation.

The tourism ministry has indicated concerns over a potential shortage of rooms for tourists.

“This is a desperate move. But it will help the institutes and the hostels, so it is a win-win situation,” a government official said.

The sports ministry has asked the human resource development ministry to co-ordinate with the institutions which are likely to stall most academic activity during the Games, HRD sources said.

Delhi lieutenant-governor Tejinder Khanna has also asked the HRD ministry to specifically shut down DU during the Games, scheduled between October 3 and October 14 next year, government sources said.

Khanna, in his letter, has, however, sought the closure of DU arguing that it will help reduce traffic on the capital’s roads duringthe Games.

DU’s grounds are also a venue for the Rugby7s, a seven-a-side avatar of rugby at the Games. Rugby players are likely to be housed in the DU hostels.

Of the 3,250 rooms identified by the panel, around 2,100 are in boys’ hostels — with other facilities such as toilets for men. The remaining rooms are in girls’ hostels, the sources said.

A majority of the rooms selected around 2,000 are in DU while the rest are in Jamia and NSIT, an autonomous institute of the Delhi government.

The sports ministry panel has argued that the government will need Rs. 6.5 crore for the renovation and upgradation of identified rooms, hostels and campuses — at the rate of around Rs 20,000 per room.

Senior DU and Jamia officials said the universities might need to shut down or minimize academic activity during the Games.

“But the hostels and so the university will benefit in the long run because of the upgrading and renovation,” a DU administrator said.

Queen's baton for 2010 Commonwealth Games unveiled

On Sunday evening, India Gate will come alive with music, fireworks and flying angels creating a symphony in mid-air. The baton for the Commonwealth relay, the Olympics equivalent of the torch relay, will be showcased for the first time in the capital before it is sent to London.

The baton, designed in Bangalore, will be unveiled by LG Tejinder Khanna in a glittering affair that will also display Commonwealth themes on the India Gate in a fascinating laser and light show. A huge stage, flanked by water screens, will be set up in front of the Amar Javan Jyoti and over 200 artists including 15 artists from UK’s famous Toll Theatre, dressed up as angels, will perform in mid-air and eventually hand over the baton to the Game’s committee members. The troupe will be performing for the first time in the country. The baton relay will start from Buckingham Palace in November this year.

Rajiv Makin, director (commercial and marketing), India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) said: “The show will be open for all. About 120 private security officials other than Delhi Police personnel have been deployed for the function. Apart from performers and the show management, there are about 300 people who are working hard to make the show a success. About 20,000 people are expected to witness the event.”

There will also be folk and classical dance performances by Indian troupes. Ganesh Natyalaya will perform bharatnatyam while the Asavari Repertory will have a kathak performance. A contemporary dance segment will be presented by the Santosh Nair group.

Watching 2010 Commonwealth Games on TV may remain dream for millions

Overzealousness, coupled with short-sightedness on the part of government officials looking after 2010 Commonwealth Games preparations may leave millions of Indian viewers tuning their TV sets for not-yet-available High Definition (HD) format airing of the much-awaited event.
A simple logic that the country has very few such TV sets in the country and since they are manufactured abroad, it is too costly an affair to import them for the Indian middle- class seems to have skipped the consideration of the policy- makers for the historic event.
Apart from that, even the government’s transmission infrastructure completely lacks in supporting HD-enabled broadcast, as most of Doordarshan’s transmitters are analog- based, thus rendering this type of telecast a near- impossibility, according to a senior DD official.
“The cost of these sets are in the range of Rs40,000 to Rs50,000 and they are not currently available in the country. Besides, as of now there is no policy to enable production of HD-enabled TV sets here,” the official said.
The Ministry for Information and Broadcasting has, meanwhile, sought Cabinet’s approval for setting up studios in Chennai and Kolkata, which would produce programmes in the HD format.
“Currently, we have one such studio each in Delhi and Mumbai, which are capable of producing programmes in HD format,“ the official said.
In order to broadcast Commonwealth Games, signals will have to be aired in HD format. “Countries like Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada, where HD format is in use, would be the right holders for the Games.
“HD signals can be converted to standard definition signals for Indian viewers. But the television sets need to be HD format-enabled for receiving these signals,” the official added.
Households with cable and satellite facilities can also receive HD signals through set-top boxes, but HD-enabled TV sets would still be required for clear and sharp images and true to life 3-D pictures, he stressed.
As for the production of such TV sets in India, it can take off in large numbers only if more HD-enabled studios come up in the four metros and the number of programmes produced in HD format increases, which at the moment seems long way off.

Indian Tourist Transporters Association demands tax sops to procure new vehicles for the Commonwealth Games in 2010

Indian Tourist Transporters Association (ITTA) has asked the central and state governments to grant tax concessions for the procurement of new vehicles for the Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi. The demand was voiced by Sarab Jit Singh, President, ITTA at the two-day annual conference of the Association in New Delhi last week (September 26 &27). Ambika Soni, Union Minister for Tourism & Culture, who inaugurated the conference, urged the tourist transporters to set benchmarks for the Commonwealth Games. Soni also informed the gathering that the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has asked for separate serial codes called ‘TV’ for tourist vehicles to be identified and also single window tax collection for tourist vehicles from the Ministry of Shipping & Surface Transport. The other delegates present during the conference were A K Walia, Finance Minister, Delhi; Haroon Yusuf, Transport Minister, Delhi; and VK Duggal, Indian Union Home Secretary.

At the conference Singh put forward three important demands for the centre and state governments to consider. He asked for the transporters to be permitted duty-free import of foreign vehicles to be deployed during the Games and also demanded exemption from excise duty and VAT for vehicles purchased in the country. As a third incentive, ITTA asked MoT to consider five per cent interest subsidy on finance borrowed from financial institutions and banks for procurement of new vehicles, similar to MoT’s current assistance to tourism infrastructure development projects in remote areas.

Singh also informed that the tourist transporters required to make an estimated investment of Rs. 700 to 800 crore to procure new fleet of vehicles for the Games. “ITTA’s own estimate is that Commonwealth Games Committee will require minimum of 4,000 vehicles. This includes both Indian and imported vehicles,” stated Singh. He also urged the Games Organising Committee to come out with clear guidelines as to the number of vehicles required so that transporters can start the ground work for the same.

While making huge investment on procuring new fleet, transporters also fear a lull or slow down in the business after the Games. “It must be noted that there has been a lull in demand and business in China after the Olympics, as also in Melbourne after the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In view of the sudden high demand of vehicles for the Games and the expected lull subsequently, we want the centre and the state governments to come forward with necessary assistance to make our investments viable and sustainable in the long run,” Singh concluded.

In View of Commonwealth Games 2010 Haryana Tourism to launch Bed and Breakfast scheme in NCR

Keeping in mind the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2010, Haryana Tourism plans to launch a Bed and Breakfast scheme in the National Capital Region (NCR) on the lines of Delhi. The State Government is in the process of preparing the Enabling Act, which is already being implemented in Delhi.

Keshni Anand Arora, Secretary Tourism, Government of Haryana says, “The Department of Tourism will shortlist the houses and guest houses with better infrastructure and facilities to accommodate the guests under the scheme. It will also help to generate revenue for the department.”

Govt Committee For Fast Execution Of Power Projects For Commonwealth Games 2010

The government has constituted a monitoring committee, to be headed by Power Secretary Anil Razdan, to expedite the commissioning of power projects for the Commonwealth Games.

"High Level Monitoring Committee under the Chairmanship of Secretary (Power) to monitor and expedite the implementation of these projects," Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

The government has identified five projects that would supply power for the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

The projects include National Capital Thermal Power Project at Dadri, Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project at Jhajjar, Mejia Thermal Power Station and Durgapur Steel Thermal Power Plant in West Bengal and Koderma Thermal Power Plant in Jharkhand.

All these projects are expected to be commissioned as scheduled, though there are minor delays of four-five months at the initial stages of construction activities in case of Durgapur and Koderma power projects, the paper said.

Meanwhile, the government also said that growth in power generation is falling short of the rate of growth in demand for electricity, due to inadequate capacity addition, non-availability of coal, gas and nuclear fuel.

Steps are being taken to improve the power supply position in the country, including augmentation of generating capacity, development of a number of ultra mega power projects of 4,000 Mw capacity each and taking up new hydro-power projects in Bhutan for import of hydro-power into India.

Commonwealth Games 2010 security to be reevaluated after attacks in Mumbai

The Commonwealth Games Federation is to reevaluate security planning for the 2010 games in New Delhi in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai that left more than 120 people dead.

Games chiefs met with security officials and state police in Delhi earlier this month to discuss security issues but a fresh assessment will be made following this week's events.

"We constantly monitor the security situation as part of our preparations and we will make sure that the arrangements are appropriate to the threat level that our advisors tell us is there," said CGF chief executive Michael Hooper.

"There is an ongoing security review but it is impossible to give cast-iron guarantees.

"Clearly the security assessment today will be very different from last week, but we will react accordingly. The security forces and administration in India is very good and we have an excellent relationship with them.

"The commitment is there and they realise it is an ongoing issue and that we need to be as vigilant as possible. We are all working towards the same aim of delivering a safe and secure games."

The CGF has recent experience dealing with terrorist threats. The Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Pune last month a matter of weeks after a series of bombs exploded in Delhi.

"We sent our security team out to Pune to meet with security officials and they made a number of changes based on the changing situation that satisfied our concerns and delivered a strong and effective security presence at the games," Hooper said.

"Unfortunately this is a fact of the world we live in. If you asked Beijing, London or any major host city they would tell you the same thing."

Will the Commonwealth Games 2010 leave New Delhi?

WITH HARDLY two years to go for the Commonwealth Games 2010, doubts have arisen as to whether the Games would move to some other location since the work is not progressing satisfactorily as per the Committee. The four-yearly Games featuring 71 teams from the Commonwealth countries are due to be held in the Indian capital of New Delhi from October 3 to 14, 2010.

The dispute is regarding the location of the games village. It is to be built on the banks of the river Yamuna, where the construction is likely to destroy the river bed, as claimed by environmentalists. Environmental groups protested and raised the issue with the high court and successfully got a probe setup by the Delhi High Court to investigate. Findings are still on-going.

If the problems regarding the construction of the games village are not resolved on immediate priority and with less than two years left for the games, there might not be enough time to relocate and build the facilities to house the 8,500 athletes and officials so late into the schedule. Even the new cycling velodrome construction is being delayed due to tender issues currently.

The committee headed by Austin Sealy, the chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation co-ordination committee, will undertake another inspection of the venues in March and reassess the situation. However, the Indian Olympic Association president, Suresh Kalmadi is much more optimistic and has assured the media and the Commonwealth Games organising committee that the venues will be completed on time.

With elections in Delhi on the anvil, there might be apprehensions in the minds of the organising committee that in case there is a change of guard in the administration, many things might get bogged down in still more controversies. That has been our tradition – whenever a new setup comes to power, it tries to undo the deeds of the predecessors.

It might be recalled that India had held the prestigious Asian Games in 1982 and the capital got the Asiad village apart from a fleet of sleek buses nicknamed as Asiad buses which can even now be seen on selected routes. The administrators of 1982 were tough ones – it was the era of Indira Gandhi and the television switched over to the colour mode to transmit live the games into the living rooms. The Commonwealth Games is a matter of prestige for the country and already the metro rail is a gift that Delhites would appreciate on the occasion. But a lot more has to be done. Since the honour of the country is at stake, people should rise above petty party politics and join hands to clear all hurdles.

Most importantly, no one should create impediments just to promote his cause and gain media coverage.

More Hotel Rooms In Delhi by 2010 Commonwealth Games

The tourism ministry will form a panel to suggest measures to increase the availability of hotel rooms before the 2010 Commonwealth Games,which will be held here.

Based on the report of the panel, the ministry will come out with schemes. The government is expecting one-lakh visitors at the games.

"The whole focus is to create additional accommodation facilities and ensure that there is enough room for all. Besides, short supply has been driving up room rates, which we need to counter," a senior tourism ministry official said.

At present, there are only about 11,000 rooms in star-category hotels in the National Capital Region, against the ministry's estimate of 30,000 more rooms during the games.

The official said that going by the present trend, only 2,000 more rooms would be available.

The government has given a five-year tax holiday to two-, three- and four-star hotels and convention centres in Delhi, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad.

Besides, upgradation and renovation of existing hotel rooms will be done, the official said.

Attaching high priority to the safety of players and tourists, the government has decided to train 30,000 volunteers.

The ministry has also introduced a short training scheme to sensitise the youth.

The ministry has also requested the hotels to upgrade the infrastructure and be ready for the games, the official said, adding that the Haryana government is in the process of upgrading the tourism complexes run by its tourism department.