Australia sending elite police squad to boost its athletes’ security at CWG

Concerned about security arrangements for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, Australia is rushing its elite police squadron to safeguard its players and officials.

Earlier, the Australian Government had warned its citizens about the dangers of buildings in Delhi, after the collapse of a bridge near the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, the main venue for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

"Our team will effectively be locked down - unable to visit any public places or use public transport," The Herald Sun quoted a source, as saying.

With the Australian Government expecting more athletes to pull out of the Commonwealth Games, about 15 Australian Federal Police officers will provide a high-level security cordon, though unarmed, after Sunday's shooting incident near the Jama Masjid in the walled city of Delhi.

SA hockey teams doubtful for CWG 2010

Happy to qualify for the Delhi Commonwealth Games, men's and women's hockey teams of South Africa still have a number of hurdles to overcome before they can participate in the October 3-14 mega-event.

South African Hockey Association has received confirmation from the South African Sports Confederation and Olympics Committee that both the teams have been registered for Games, ending months of speculation on whether hockey would have the country's representation in the event.

But according to SAHA chief executive Marissa Langeni, that is all they know at this stage amid concerns about lack of coaches, training camps and funds.

Besides, both men's and women's teams have been without fulltime coaches for sometime now.

A meeting between SAHA and SASCOC on May 7 was expected to provide some clarity on these issues.

Because hockey is not recognised as a professional sport in South Africa, most players in the national sides have fulltime jobs or are students. Some of them have already indicated that they may not be available to go to India in October.

ASI opposes walkway within regulated area of Old Fort

The much-touted hanging foot overbridge coming up on Mathura Road-Bhairon Road near Purana Qila for the Commonwealth Games has run into a roadblock after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) opposed its construction.

The ASI has issued a notice to the Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit Service (DIMTS), a special purpose vehicle created by the Delhi government to implement its transport schemes for the Games, to stop work as the site falls within the regulated area of Purana Qila, a Centrally protected monument.

A new amendment in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act 2010 states ‘any person who owns any building, structure or land in a regulated area and desires to carry out any construction, repair or renovation’ has to make an application to the National Monuments Authority (NMA). The regulated area of a protected monument extends up to 300 m - the first 100 m is the prohibited area, while the remaining 200 m is the regulated area.

ASI officials maintained that a notice was sent earlier to the DIMTS to stop construction but the body refused. The ASI then pasted a copy of the notice at the site. Construction, however, has not stopped.

The NMA is, meanwhile, yet to be instituted. The body will comprise a ‘whole-time’ chairperson (to be appointed by the President), the Director General of ASI as ex-officio member and other full-time and part-time members (not exceeding five each).

“We have received the notice and are examining it. We will have to see what it implies, only then can we respond. Work at the site has not been stopped yet,” a DIMTS spokesperson said.

DIMTS had taken up the work for the Public Works Department (PWD) and planned landscaping and installing of street furniture in the area. The walkway is being constructed to link Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, a Commonwealth Games venue, to the parking area at Purana Qila. According to DIMTS, the walkway is the largest single-span bridge — a hanging bridge without any support in the middle — in the city and is specially designed to allow a good view of the Purana Qila.

The Rs 3.53-crore project will be able to accommodate 5,000 users per hour, against the usual capacity of 1,000 people per day for a normal foot overbridge.

Indian security 'thwarts Games attacks'

Many potential attacks on the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi have already been thwarted, according to Indian officials who are promising "foolproof" security.

The weekend bombings outside the stadium at an Indian Premier League cricket match in Bangalore which injured at least 10 people have revived international jitters about the safety of those attending the October 3-14 Games.

The blasts rekindled fears aroused by the February bombing at a cafe in Pune, east of Mumbai, which killed 17 people, and the Mumbai attacks which killed more than 170 less than 18 months ago.

But high ranking Indian Games official T.S. Darbari has reassured Australian athletes and challenged suggestions that their visiting family and supporters could be at risk when outside the sporting venues or beyond protection perimeters.

"Delhi is very, very safe (and) secure - not only for the sports people who are coming but also for their families and for the tourists," Darbari told AAP.

Darbari, joint director general of the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games 2010, is leading a delegation to Australia accompanying the Queen's baton relay.

He echoed the sentiments from Delhi that Games security measures will be unprecedented.

"I know what the plan is that is being formulated, I can't share the details, but let me tell you it is foolproof."

India's delegation also includes D.R. Kaarthikeyan, a former director of his country's Central Bureau Investigation.

Kaarthikeyan, one of many security experts advising Games officials, says statistics show that nearly all potential attacks are thwarted.

"When something succeeds, you can see 99 have been prevented," he told AAP.

He would not divulge specific measures to protect Delhi from terrorist attacks but did reveal that security agencies have already stopped potential attacks in the host city.

"So many are being rounded up, so many have been detected," Kaarthikeyan said.

"But then they will not be discussed in public. What have been prevented, what have been planned and the stage of plotting itself, that does not come out."

Tourists can expect obvious signs of security in Delhi streets during the Games but most measures will be covert.

"They feel more assured when they see a lot of policemen around and gunmen around, because we cannot take chances," he said.

Kaarthikeyan also said security was so tight in India's major cities that attackers were resorting to small disruptions in rural and regional areas.

Fitness worry for Indians

With less than six months to go for the start of the Commonwealth Games, most of the big names of Indian badminton, it seems, are not yet ready for the big meet.

On Wednesday, to the shock of the huge number of partisan spectators, a majority of the local heroes bit the dust against middle level opponents in Yonex Sunrise Badminton Asia championships. Except for Saina Nehwal, P Kashyap and top-seeded doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and D. Viju, no other Indian could clear the second round barrier.

“Surely we are disappointed, but that’s not the end of the world,” said national coach P. Gopichand. “Fitness is the biggest problem for most of our players and even the top names are in that list. We are working to overcome the shortcoming,” said the former All-England champion.

If the national team’s Indonesian fitness trainer Atiq Johari, famous for his effective fitness regime, is to be believed, even Chetan Anand would have to work very hard to reach his peak fitness before the Games.

“Chetan is certainly the best, but he has to go long way as far as fitness is concerned,” said the Indonesian coach. “The women players, also, will have to work hard,” added Johari. Both the coaches informed that the players are now going through various fitness training including yoga.

Johari, however, has big hopes on Chetan. “He is our best bet in the Commonwealth championship. I am not saying he would be the champion, but don’t be surprised it he makes the semi-finals. At the moment he is injured. But once he regains his fitness, Chetan would be a big force.”

For Games, civic body begins work on upgraded toilets

With the Commonwealth Games approaching, upgrading public utilities seems to be the top priority of the city’s civic agencies.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has started work on 25 new public toilets at strategic locations ahead of the October event.

The toilets will have diaper-changing boards and shelves for purses in the women’s toilets. They will be disabled- friendly as well. Work on building and maintaining the toilets has been awarded to Hythro Power Corporation Limited. Recently, the NDMC sent a proposal to the company, asking for inclusion of the facilities mentioned.

“In shopping areas, women with babies often need a place to change diapers. Also, while using a toilet, women often find no place to keep their purses and bags. We have thus asked the concessionaires to incorporate shelves in the toilets and also have diaper-changing boards,” a senior NDMC official said.

The civic body is constructing the toilets in areas that see a lot of pedestrian traffic such as markets and office clusters.

He added the company has started upgrading 42 other toilets in the Rajpath area, also for the Commonwealth Games. Only minor structural changes will be made in these public utilities.

New mirrors, toilet pots and washbasins will be installed. Once the toilets are ready, the Health department of the NDMC will keep a regular check on its cleanliness.

The company will be responsible for the maintenance of the toilets for 10 years. The NDMC has also given work of maintaining 18 garbage stations to the company.

The new toilets are coming up in areas like Ashoka Road, Janpath Lane, Gole Market, Shanker Market, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, North Avenue taxi stand, Parliament Street, Tolstoy road, KG Marg and Babar Road, among others. The service will be free. The concessionaires will pay NDMC Rs 26 lakhs per month.

Taufik is flustered by heavy security cover

Indonesian great Taufik Hidayat finds the unprecedented security at the Badminton Asia Championships here "disturbing."

The tournament, which is a test event for the October 3-14 Commonwealth Games, has players from 21 countries participating.

Taufik, who was in Hyderabad last year for the World Championships, said he has never seen such a security cover before and the players are not used to it.

"There is too much of security around. It is more than the Olympics and the Asian Games and it is a bit disturbing for the players. Players do not want to see so many security men around, it affects us psychologically," he said.

Japanese head coach and former South Korean doubles exponent Park Joo-bong had also expressed similar views Tuesday.

Taufik, Olympic champion and three times World Champion, has happy memories of India, having won the singles title at the Indian Open last year.

He looked in good touch as he breezed through to the third round here Wednesday, demolishing Nepal's Indra Mehta 21-6, 21-9 in the first round and then outclassed Vietnam's Ha Anh Le 21-10, 21-16, in the second.

"In India, I get a lot of crowd support. I won the Indian Open last year, but now I am taking one game at a time as there are some very good players in the draw," said Taufik, six-time winner of the Indonesian Open.

"I was a bit casual in my second match and he pushed me to a fair distance. But I came back strongly, which is a good thing."

The 28-year-old is happy with the facilities at the Siri Fort stadium.

"The facility here is good, the best I have seen in India and that includes Hyderabad. It is a little dusty though and you also have to be conscious of the inconsistent draught."

Some of the big names are missing from the Championships, but Taufik said the tournament is still very competitive with a number of quality players capable of beating anyone on a given day.

"Though some of the players have not come, it is still a strong field with Lin Dan, Long Chen and a couple of other good players in the draw," he said.

Sheila Dikshit meets Sonia Gandhi, discusses preparations for Commonwealth Games

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit today met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and is understood to have briefed her about preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in the national capital.

When asked, Dikshit said it was a routine meeting. "It was a routine meeting. I keep meeting her."

Sources said the chief minister briefed the Congress chief about preparations for the mega sporting event to be held from October 3 to 14.

The Delhi government has spent over Rs 10,000 crore to strengthen infrastructure in the city ahead of the event.

You can watch the entire Games live on the 3G mobile: Bhanot

Want to watch the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games live without going to a stadium or switching on the telly? All you need is a 3G mobile handset that brings you all the action even when you are travelling.

The Games Organising Committee is also looking at developing a number of mobile applications to provide a lot more at your finger tips.

"You can watch the entire Games live on the 3G mobile. A first for any major Games, it will be an exciting experience. It was not there even at the 2008 Beijing Olympics," Organising Committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot said.

The 3G (third generation) telecom services allow faster connectivity and enable applications such as internet TV, video-on-demand, audio-video calls and high-speed data exchange.

"We already have 3G-enabled phones in India and companies like MTNL and BSNL are already providing 3G services," he added.

The auction to award spectrum for 3G telecom services across the India is on and once it ends, the service providers will roll out the new technology in a big way.

Over 100,000 people will be in Delhi for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games.

"Twenty years ago, a visitor would have been greeted with a booklet with information about important officials, helpline numbers and basic route maps. Now, all the information can be had on your mobile," Bhanot said.

Bhanot said the mobile applications will have everything, from basic information about the Games, which is in a sleek booklet form now, to even the minutest detail a visitor would like to have, such as venues, key bus and metro routes, helpline numbers, road maps, shopping and eatery joints.

"Much of the information is very critical for everyone and it will be a free service to the Games family," he added.

But the Organising Committee has not taken a call as yet on whether to charge visitors and Delhiites.

"We may still charge some amount for certain applications as there is a cost for providing a service," Bhanot said.

"In the basic information application, Games mascot Shera may take you on a virtual tour of the venues. Shera will be in a swimsuit at the swimming venue, talking about the event. Similarly, at the archery venue, he may be with a bow and arrow. These are basically user- friendly," he explained.

The committee is also looking at developing small video clips having important moments during the Games or memory chips with highlights of India.

"We are planning to provide capsules of public interest. For instance, a small video clip of an athlete winning a race and then receiving a medal can be sold for a small price like selling souvenirs," Bhanot said.

"We also want to market memory chips with cultural highlights during the Games or visits to heritage monuments. If an athlete or tourist goes to a cultural event and is fascinated by a dance or a music concert, he can get a video clip of the programme in a memory chip," he said

"It is almost like a walking coffee table book on the new age mobile," he added.

Tom Daley has sights on 2010 Commonwealth Games gold

Diver Tom Daley says he will spend 2010 perfecting two new dives - but still has his sights set on a synchronised gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Daley will only compete in the 10m platform World Series in Mexico next week and in Sheffield on 23-24 April.
But the world champion, 15, says the Delhi Games are still in his sights.
"I will focus on getting my new dive secure and once I have got that sorted, then towards the Commonwealths I can think of synchro again," he said.
Daley's latest dives, the back two-and-a-half somersault, two-and-a-half twists and the armstand back triple somersault pike, have a higher difficulty tariff which, if executed well, can earn him higher marks from the judges.
The teenager performed both dives at the season-opening World Series event in Qingdao last month, where he finished fourth out of eight competitors, earning more points than the dive that won him a shock gold medal at the World Championships in Rome last year.

And he will again attempt both dives next week at the second World Series event in Veracruz, Mexico before performing in front of his home crowd in Sheffield at Pond's Forge in a fortnight.
"In China, it [the back two-and-a-half somersault dive] was the highest scoring dive I did, I pulled it off at preliminaries and the semi-final," said Daley.
"But it takes a lot to get your head around the dives, so I need to do them more and more in competition and try to get the hang of it.
"It's about developing technique and, because it's new, it's quite scary. But with more practice, I will be able to jump up more on the start and be more confident."
Daley has a busy schedule in the next 12 months with the World Cup in May, the National and European Championships in the summer, with a potential trip to Singapore for the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore sandwiched between the Commonwealth Games in India in the autumn.

And next year will see Daley defend his world 10m crown in Shanghai in July, the first qualifying event for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
With so much emphasis on the individual event, Daley has chosen to place the synchronised event on hold, leaving diving partner Max Brick, with whom he finished ninth at the World Championships, to compete with Pete Waterfield.
The 2004 Olympic silver medallist beat Daley at the British Gas National Cup in Sheffield in February, when the teenager first unveiled his latest dives.
However, Daley hopes that if Waterfield can master his two latest dives, the duo could unleash them on a world stage.

"Once I have got my dives sorted and someone else has the same degree of difficulty of dive then I start focusing on synchro," added Daley.
"Pete is an amazing diver and hopefully in the future I can try synchro with him."
And Daley also admitted that he has increased his work rate since his Olympic debut in Beijing.
"I think people have realised my mindset changed after Beijing and the fact I thought 'I need to work 10 times as hard as I did before," he said.
"I try and work as hard as I possibly can because I want to have no regrets going into competition.
"It's good to be known as one of the top divers. Since Rome people have started to think I am maybe one of the top divers, whereas before I was thinking 'oh no, they're the top divers, I've got no chance'."

CM inaugurates fully dedicated power grid for CWG village

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Transfers in DDA may affect Commonwealth Games work

Months before the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was to complete the two Commonwealth Games complexes — Siri Fort and Yamuna Sports Complex — the land agency has transferred key officials of the project. Interestingly, it has also extended the internal deadline that had been set for completion, from March 31 to May 31 now.

While top DDA officials claimed the move was administrative, sources in the agency said the transfers couldn’t have come at a worse time. ‘‘The projects are at a critical state, and any new official who takes charge will need some time to understand the issues,’’ said a senior official. It’s especially critical for the Siri Fort Sports Complex, which will be hosting the Asia Badminton Championship in April. Sources said while the FOP (field of play) and playing courts have been completed at the squash and badminton stadium, a large part of the work still remains to be completed. This was supposed to have been finished by this month-end.

Sources said the reason why the officials were removed at both complexes was delay in work — a fact that is apparent from the extended deadline. However, officials working on the project maintain the current delay is a result of initial lack of initiative by top DDA brass in the early days of preparation. Said an official, ‘‘We had been given only 18 months for actual execution of the project, the schedule of which has been maintained throughout. The maximum delay had taken place during the planning phase.’’ It’s an accusation that DDA’s top brass refused to comment on when contacted. Site officials, meanwhile, claimed they were being held responsible for what the senior officials have effected.

Interestingly, the DDA V-C conducts a weekly monitoring of both Commonwealth Games projects while senior officials apparently keep a close daily watch.

Caught between the politics of the DDA administration are the sports complexes, which will now take longer to be completed. Earlier in March, DDA had inaugurated the archery stadium at the Yamuna Sports Complex, despite the fact that it is yet to be finished. Neither is the table-tennis stadium at the same venue nor the training courts are ready yet. It’s the same story at the Siri Fort Complex, where a large part of the work at the squash and badminton stadium is yet to be completed. The training areas are also still in the process of completion, while the swimming complex, which is the training venue for the Games, is not even 50% complete. The badminton test event, meanwhile, will be starting from April 12 at Siri Fort while the squash event has been postponed, said sources.

Commonwealth Games tickets to be sold online by IRCTC

A railway subsidiary has bagged a contract to sell Commonwealth Games tickets online and sports lovers will get the option of choosing the row and seat at different venues.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has got the contract of Rs 12 crore to become the official ticketing agency for the Games, to be hosted by Delhi in October this year.

IRCTC, a subsidiary of Indian Railways, will develop a dedicated website for issuing tickets of the Games. "We are developing the website with the latest software for the sale of Commonwealth Games tickets, including for the inaugural and closing ceremonies," said a senior IRCTC official adding, "We will be also responsible for commissioning and maintenance of the portal."

According to the Organising Committee, there will be a total of 22 lakh tickets of different denominations to be sold for various events during the Games. One can choose his or her seat in a particular row and the sold-out seats will be also shown in the website, said the official.

The sale of tickets is estimated to generate about Rs 120 crore as revenue, said another senior Organising Committee official, adding the prices of tickets will be ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 1000.

However, the ticket rates for the inaugural and closing ceremonies at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium have not yet been decided as these are expected to be much higher. Besides the online process, tickets will also be sold through call centres, retail outlets and at the venues.

IRCTC, which does catering service in trains, is also currently engaged in issuing rail tickets online. Once the ticketing website is launched, one does not have to stand in a queue for a ticket during the Games as it will be available with just a push of the button.

Fashion Council lends support to Delhi 2010

India's apex fashion body, the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) has come out to support the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi.

Along with the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, FDCI unveiled a graffiti wall at the ongoing India Fashion Week here, with several designers writing their wishes for the Games on it.

“All the best,” wrote designers Parvesh-Jai. “Good luck,” wrote Niharika while Charu Parashar write “The Games rock.”

“The FDCI and Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi are vibrant bodies. So we decided why don't we come together and support this sports event for public awareness,” FDCI President Sunil Sethi told reporters here.

“FDCI is also planning to involve some of our top designers to design uniforms for the participants in the Games,” he said, sharing the stage with Commonwealth Games mascot Shera, Organising Committee Vice President Mr. Randhir Singh, hockey stars Sandeep Singh and former India hockey captain Zafar Iqbal.

CWG silver medallist among three lifters banned for life

Three weightlifters, including Melbourne Commonwealth Games silver medallist Vicky Batta, were slapped with a life ban on Saturday after the Indian federation decided to act tough on drug cheats.

The other lifters who have been handed out the punishment are G Damodaran and Rajesh Kumar Singh of Services as they failed a dope test by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) during the 2009 season — their second such offence.

Damodaran (105kg) and Singh (94kg) first returned positive samples in 2006 during the inter-Services competition in 2006. Batta, meanwhile, was among the nine culprits who had failed a dope test during the Guwahati National games in 2007.

The federation, which has itself been fined by the world body for failing to control the instances of doping, has also imposed a penalty of $5,000 each on the three lifters. Batta, a Punjab Police lifter, will have to shell out an additional $500 for a B sample.

“The federation is very serious on taking strong action on drug offenders. We want to clean up the dope menace. The severe punishment given to the three lifters should set an example for young lifters in the country,” said IWF secretary general Sehdev Yadav.

“It’s the only way to cleanse the system,” he added.

Incidentally, Batta and Singh were handed a four-year ban by the International Weightlifting Federation — till September 2013 — after failing the out of competition WADA tests in September 2009. It led to the IWF executive council resigning and the world body imposing a hefty $500,000 fine on the Indian federation. Shailaja Pujari was handed a life ban by the world body, while the other five were banned for four years. Besides Batta, Pujari and Singh, the other three lifters were Harbhajan Singh, Sunita Rani and Arambam Bijaya Devi.

Recently, 70 lifters did not turn up for competition after sending entries for the senior national championships in Udaipur in January due to fear of being caught for doping as the IWF had conducted large-scale dope testing.

Flying out of Delhi may become more expensive

It is the result of a 42% increase in the cost of modernizing the airport before the Commonwealth Games in October

Passengers will have to pay steeper fees when flying from the Capital’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) after June—the result of a 42% increase in the cost of modernizing the airport before the Commonwealth Games in October.

The board of Delhi International Airport (Pvt.) Ltd (DIAL) on Thursday set the final cost of the project at Rs12,700 crore, up from the Rs8,975 crore estimated earlier, according to a company official who asked not to be named. The revision was adopted at a board meeting.

The increase clears the way for raising existing charges and possibly levying new ones on passengers using IGIA. It would also mean higher charges such as landing, parking and navigation fees for airlines.

IGIA, being modernized by a consortium led by GMR Infrastructure Ltd, will be the biggest and most expensive airport in India when the under-construction Terminal T3 is commissioned in June, offering passengers a world-class, integrated domestic-and-international facility with the latest in equipment.

For passengers and airlines, it will come at a price because the developer would have to pass on the increased project cost to end users.

Passengers are already being charged to help the developer recover Rs1,827 crore, or 20% of the earlier project estimate of Rs8,975 crore. They are paying Rs200 for taking domestic flights out of IGIA and Rs1,300 for flying abroad until 1 March 2012, as an airport development fee.

“We have to audit the cost given by them (DIAL), which will take six-eight weeks after which a final tariff would be arrived at,” Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (Aera) chairman Yashwant S. Bhave had said earlier this week.

Aera is the new airport regulator and approval of the new fees at IGIA is likely to be its first big decision, posing a potential test of its ability to protect consumer interests.

DIAL is expected to submit the final cost estimate to Aera for clearance by the end of this month or early next month after which the regulator will appoint an external auditor to vet costs and then decide on the new airport charges.

The new charges could either be an extension of the duration of the existing airport development fee, an increase in the amount charged, or an additional passenger charge such as a user development fee, or a combination of such measures, said the DIAL official quoted above.

The method of arriving at these charges is likely to be finalized by next month, Bhave had said.

India’s airlines are laden with losses and debt, and there are concerns about the impact of increased tariffs on air traffic growth, which has started to pick up after a two-year downturn.

“Rules should be made for the customer and not just the rich customer,” said G.R. Gopinath, who pioneered low-cost aviation in India with the erstwhile Air Deccan and recently launched the cargo carrier Deccan 360. “The fundamental problem is there must be competition in all sectors. Competition will bring down cost for the consumer, which I think is not there in some airports.”

Gopinath said the regulator should strike a balance between the interests of consumers and the airport operator when setting tariffs.

“Airport cannot be allowed to lose, but they cannot exploit (consumers),” he said. Airports are built on public land given at concessional rates by the government, and “this concession has to be shared with the public”.

In October 2006, the cost estimated for the first phase of IGIA modernization by DIAL was Rs5,900 crore. The cost estimated for the Mumbai airport modernization has risen from Rs5,826 crore to Rs9,802 crore.

“A regulator is always supposed to regulate competition and not monopoly,” Gopinath said, recommending the government be more flexible in allowing competing airports to come up.

Return on investment alone does not justify what an airport operator can be allowed to charge passengers, he added.

UN sounds alarm on New Delhi's homeless

A United Nations independent human rights expert Wednesday voiced concern over the deaths of homeless people in India's capital from a cold wave, underscoring the need for adequate shelter to protect them from harsh weather.

"The lives of hundreds of homeless people in India are at risk as temperatures near zero degrees," said Raquel Rolnik, the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing.

Ten homeless people have lost their lives in the past month in New Delhi, while some 100 people have reportedly died in northern India due to the freezing cold over the last few weeks.

The number of homeless people in India has grown since 2007, but the number of shelters for them has plummeted from 46 to 24 in New Delhi, Rolnik pointed out.

This year's Commonwealth Games appears to be driving the closing down of shelters in New Delhi, with public authorities evicting homeless people and tearing down their places of residence in spite of the frigid temperatures.

Late last month, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi demolished a temporary night shelter on Pusa Road, leaving 250 people without shelter and allegedly resulting in the deaths of two people. In spite of an order by the Delhi High Court on 7 January requesting the immediate restoration of the shelter and the protection of the uprooted families, authorities have yet to help them.

A further 400 people were evicted from an area they were using as shelter at Pul Mitahi, where many construction workers for the Commonwealth Games and Dalit families were living.

Rolnik, who reports to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, welcomed the Delhi High Court's ruling and urged authorities to "halt the demolition of homeless shelters, to provide immediate assistance and adequate shelter to the affected persons, and not to evict homeless persons in the winter, on humanitarian grounds."

Delhi belly scare makes Brit CWG gymnasts run!

Britain’s gymnastics body has decided to pull out its top names from next Commonwealth Games in Delhi, the Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday. Strangely, it’s a fear of the tummy bug that prompted such a decision.

The move means Britain’s top trio Beth Tweddle, Louis Smith and Daniel Keatings will be absent. The artistic gymnastics competition at the event takes place from from October 4 to 8 and the rhythmic discipline from October 12 to 14, the latter finishing just three days before the start of the 2010 World Championships, which take place in Rotterdam.

"It’s not just the travel and jet lag but the potential for tummy bugs and diarrhoea that exists in making the trip," the paper quoted British Gymnastics’ performance director Eddie van Hoof, as saying. "We just cannot afford to take the risk when so much is at stake."

Jessica Ennis, world heptathlon champion, and marathon runner Paula Radcliffe have already pulled out of the Games. Ennis told the Daily Telegraph that the timing of the event would clash with her preparations for the World Indoor Championship and European Championship.

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) has committed its support to Canadian athletes competing in Commonwealth Games.

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) has committed its support to Canadian athletes competing in the October 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Over the next ten months, the ICCC will support the efforts of the Commonwealth Games Foundation Canada (CGCF) to facilitate the "Dream it in Delhi" campaign - an initiative which will help send approximately 250 Canadian athletes to compete against more than 70 other nations and territories at the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, October 3 to 14, 2010.

"We are committed to supporting these world-class athletes who will represent Canada at the Commonwealth Games," said Asha Luthra, ICCC President. "The ICCC and CGC share an important common goal: promoting and improving the relationship between Canada and India. We are proud to support Canadian performance on the international stage, and the strengthening of this relationship through sport."

On November 20, the ICCC kicked off its campaign for Canada's athletes at its Holiday Gala Dinner Dance in Toronto.

The ICCC's donations will contribute to the CGC's Adopt-an-Athlete program, which covers expenses related to travel and accommodation, medical services, team uniform, and media operations, among other costs. The ICCC joins several companies and organizations that have already made a donation to the program.

"We are thrilled that the ICCC has extended its support for Canadian athletes," said Krista Benoit, Director of Corporate Development of the Commonwealth Games Foundation of Canada. "This partnership is an obvious fit, and ICCC's investment in Canada's athletes will help to contribute to our goal of best-ever performances at the Games in Delhi, India."

Members of the public are invited to contact CGC or visit www.commonwealthgames.ca for details on how to contribute to the "Dream it in Delhi" fundraising campaign.