DDA Commonwealth Games venues to overshoot deadlines

Weeks before the coordination committee of the Commonwealth Games Federation comes
for a recce on Delhi's preparedness for the Commonwealth Games 2010, talk of delays in the construction of competition venues has become reality. Officials at the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which is in charge of two important competition venues as well as the Commonwealth Games Village along with several practice venues, admitted that deadlines have been moved from December 2009 to March 2010.


The admission comes days after the urban development minister, Jaipal Reddy, last Thursday said that work on Games-related projects was on time. Incidentally, the coordination committee of the CGF will be submitting the report which is expected to decide whether the Games preparations in the city need to be monitored by the CGF, as announced by CGF chief Mike Fennell earlier in October. The move had been rejected by the Organising Committee, which had later negotiated with the CGF for the CoCom to decide if such a committee was needed. The CoCom is expected to submit its report in December.

The two venues which are immediately affected are Siri Fort Complex and the Yamuna Sports Complex. Both are competition venues, with the Yamuna Sports Complex scheduled to hold the archery test event on March 7, 2010. Said a senior DDA official, "The YSC is expected to be complete by February so that the test event can be held there. However, the Siri Fort cannot be made ready before March 31, 2020.'' The delay in deadline comes even as officially, the land agency had been claiming a deadline in December 2009. Sources added that even in March, the handover of the venues would be partial, as landscaping and other finishing touches would still be going on.

The reason for the postponement in deadline, according to DDA officials, is the inordinate delay over deciding the FOP field of play, that is, the turf for the playing area and other parts of the venues. Said the official, "Majority of the work that remains is in the interiors, specially the FOP, electrical and other aspects.'' While at YSC the FOP has been laid in some of the badminton and the squash court, it is the archery venue at the Yamuna complex that the land agency is concentrating on. The complex is the main competition venue for table tennis and archery.

It's not the first venue which has been delayed. Earlier, Delhi government had admitted that the Thyagraj Stadium has also overshot its deadline of September, along with the various venues under the supervision of the SAI. DDA officials, however, claim the delay would not impact preparations. Said a senior official, "The venues will be complete with plenty of time left for the OC to get the stadia ready for the Games.''

Travel Industry Hopeful of 10% growth during 2010 Games

Today's one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai not only proves to be turning point for a city that remains defiant in the face of terror, but also for India's tourism.

The industry is hoping to achieve a 10 per cent growth next year after a $1.3 billion drop in tourism revenues in the second quarter of 2009, compared to the same period a year earlier.

"Travel from the Middle East to India recorded a meager five per cent growth at the end of this year's second quarter, compared to nearly double the growth for the same period in 2008," said Waseem Rahmany, Senior Manager, Sales and Marketing, Al Rais Travel.

"However, the end of Q3 saw summer travel provide a much-needed boost to the tourism industry, which bridged the gap between revenue generated in 2008 and 2009 for the period."

Kuoni Travel Group India CEO and Managing Director, Zubin Karkaria, reiterated the sentiment, saying: "In the first quarter of 2009, travel to India from the Middle East took a nose dive; however, nearly 80 per cent of that lost market share was regained by the end of Q3."

He said: "The outlook for travel from this region to India next year is quite positive, with leisure and corporate travel indicating an upswing of nearly 10 per cent growth."

In order to stimulate inbound traffic for 2010, Indian Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said last week at the World Travel Market that a number of initiatives and events have been put in place to reach this goal, including special packages for the World Commonwealth Games in Delhi, which is expected to attract up to 100,000 people in October next year.

"We are already in the initial stages of planning extended holidays into India for those travelers who are flying down to attend the Games," Shakir Kantawala, General Manager of Jet Airways, Dubai and Northern Emirates, told Emirates Business. "We are positive it will turn out to be a huge draw for tourists."

Karkaria said: "Our team has already started working on creating special packages for the Commonwealth Games, which will be rolled out to international travel agencies by January 2010."

As one of the largest tour operators in India, with a turnover of Rs22.29bn in 2008 alone, the company is also in the business of offering wholesale packages to international travel agencies around the world.

India's tourism woes began in Q3 last year, when the full impact of the global recession reared its ugly head. Adding to that was the terrorist attack on Mumbai's iconic hotels, Taj and Trident, along with Leopold Café - a popular hangout with foreign tourists.

Statistics revealed a sharp fall in foreign tourists in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, which persisted well into this year.

In the December following the tragic events, arrivals fell 12.5 per cent on the previous year - a heavy toll for hoteliers in the middle of the peak season for foreign tourists.

The latest available figures by the country's tourism board indicate that 2.4 million foreigners visited India in the January-September period - down 3.3 per cent on the same period in 2008. However, independent studies reveal a grimmer picture of nearly an eight per cent decline in tourism.

A recent report by global consultancy HVS Hospitality Services described the financial year 2008-09 as "an unforgettable one for the Indian tourism" with an overall decline in occupancy and revenue per available room (RevPAR).

"Mumbai reported the largest RevPAR decline of 20.1 per cent for 2008-09 amongst the major cities in India," stated the October report titled Hotels in India - Trends and Opportunities.

Revenue per room in Mumbai hotels fell to Rs6, 513 from Rs8, 155 a year earlier.

"This was due to the Mumbai terror attacks. The event raised concerns in the minds of international travelers regarding India's worthiness as a safe and secure travel destination," the report said.

Occupancy rates were at 60.9 per cent in 2008-2009, down 18.4 per cent on the previous year.

Nationally, tourism contributed 6.1 per cent to India's GDP - down 0.7 per cent on 2007-08.

"In the aftermath of the attacks in Mumbai, it was predictable that tourism in India took a beating and was in need of an image makeover," said Kantawala. "Our way to deal with the crisis was to partner with India Tourism Board and use the media to our advantage."

Through Jet Airways' Visit India initiative, the airline flew media down on familiarization trips to those very cities and hotels that had suffered from attacks of terrorism.

Kantawala said: "We flew media to Mumbai, put them up in the Taj and Trident hotels, and took others to Delhi and Jaipur to show everyone that India knows how to bounce back."

However, by the second quarter of 2009 the H1N1 pandemic had spread its tentacles into India, providing yet another setback for the tourism industry.

"The Swine flu scare was even more lethal than the attacks on Mumbai," said Al Rais' Rahmany. "Almost 30 to 40 per cent of our business comes through the summer travel. But this year's panic brought that percentage down by nearly 10 points."

Rahmany, however, believes the worst for India's tourism sector is finally behind us. "Christmas and New Year travel to India is regaining momentum, with flights to the metros almost booked out, along with airfares increasing with high demand," he said.

According to figures released by the Indian Tourism Board, tourist arrivals are expected to rise again, around December. However, 2009's Q4 forecast of 4.8 million tourists is still down from the 5.5 million recorded in 2008.

Next year's 10 per cent growth in tourism is inevitable, say industry sources, with the government even developing 150 rural sites to generate more revenue. "I am quite bullish on India next year and its increased presence at global travel and trade fairs are a step in the right direction," said Karkaria.

Boxing coach Obisia Nwankpa wants early preparations for Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010

National boxing coach Obisia Nwankpa has lamented the lack of serious preparations for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.

According to the former Commonwealth champion the boxers to represent the country at the event are worried that there are no competitions to enable them be in shape.

He said, ”It is sad that we are not preparing for the Commonwealth Games. In other countries, preparations are already in top gear and these are the people we will meet.

”For an event of such magnitude we should have started our preparations.

”There should have been competitions to select our boxers by now so that by next year we‘ll be talking about early camping. That‘s the only way we can be sure of medals,” he said.

The coach regretted that the national team could not impress at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and at the Amateur International Boxing Association Championship earlier this year, saying the preparations toward the events were terrible.

Obisia said, ”Toward the Olympics, we were camped in Benin just weeks before the games, and from there we moved to Beijing. The preparation was not good enough for us. It was difficult fighting boxers who had trained in three different countries, gaining experience and skills.”

Bolt keen to be in Delhi for the 2010 Games

Usain Bolt walked away with the Athlete of the Year award at the 2009 World Athletics Gala in Monte Carlo last weekend and I am glad my colleague on the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council and Jamaica Olympic Association secretary-general Neville McCook introduced me to the world sprint champion. I am happy to inform you that Bolt told me he is keen to compete in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi next year.

Having also got International Athletic Foundation Honorary President Prince Albert II of Monaco and IAAF President Lamine Diack to agree to visit Delhi during the Commonwealth Games, I am now looking forward to a couple of days in London where I am meeting London 2012 Olympic Games Organising Committee Chairman Lord Sebastian Coe.

I will discuss the legacy that such events can leave and am hoping to get the BBC to come on board as a rights holding broadcaster.

It is an honour to be chosen by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to represent India at the Nov 28 sports breakfast hosted by the Commonwealth Games Federation and Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Mr. Patrick Manning for the Commonwealth Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) retreat venue in Trinidad.
It gives us an opportunity to impress upon the Heads of Governments the legacy benefits that the Commonwealth Games will leave as well as the rapid growth of host city in terms of infrastructure and development.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Commonwealth Games will leave an amazing legacy for Olympic sport in our nation, creating an unprecedented sports consciousness among the Indians.

As for Delhi, you are well aware of how Delhi Metro is changing travel patterns, how additional overbridges and new roads will make life a great deal smoother for the citizens.

The new terminal that is coming up at the Indira Gandhi International Airport will be world class and become one of the hubs that will promote tourism into India.

I am sure Delhi will enjoy the benefits of the Games even after the mega event in October 2010.

Meanwhile, I am delighted that the Queen's Baton Relay 2010 is moving with clockwork precision across Europe, visiting iconic sites and being carried by some outstanding athletes.

The baton's 3381-km journey so far has been amazing, visiting iconic sites and bridging communities across the Commonwealth.

Amidst all this excitement, I am pleased to inform you that we have not lost focus of the ensuing visit of the Co-ordination Commission (CoCom).

We are well on the way to ensuring that all 34 Functional Areas of the Organising Committee are up to the mark and in keeping with the Games Master Schedule.

My team — and we are adding more and more personnel, including those being deputed by Government and the armed forces on our request as well as international sportspersons — and I are working hard to reach the milestones that we have set for ourselves.

I am confident that we will organise the best ever Games.

Rs84 crore to be spent in Commonwealth Games opening, closing ceremonies

India will spend Rs84 crore in conducting the grand opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, sports ministry said today.

Replying to a question at the Lok Sabha, minister of state for sports, Pratik Prakashbapu Patil said the theme and concept of the opening ceremony has been finalised while the same process is on for the closing ceremony.

"Rs84 crore approximately has been earmarked for the two ceremonies in the budget of the Organising Committee CWG Delhi 2010," Patil told the Lok Sabha.

"The concept and theme for the opening ceremony has been finalised. The theme and concept for the closing ceremony is in an advanced stage of finalisation. The operational details are being developed by the Organising Committee," he added.

He said the programmes for these two ceremonies will be ready ahead of the timeframe set by the Commonwealth Games Federation.

"The CGF have advised that the programme for the opening and closing ceremonies needs to be finalised early. The programmes will be ready in time," Patil said.

The minister also informed the House that the government was also giving attention to the training of Indian athletes for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games next year.

"The government has undertaken a special drive for the preparation of athletes for the 2010 CWG and 2010 Asian Games. These efforts will be furthered suitably for training of sportspersons who qualify for London Olympics.

Assocham for tax holiday for five-star hotels

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has called for a five-year tax holiday for all hotels including five-star establishments, especially in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), in view of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

'The government has already accorded tax holiday for five years for two-, three- and four-star hotels and even convention centres with a seating capacity of not less than 3,000 in the NCR of Delhi, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad,' it said in a statement Wednesday.

This facility, according to Assocham, needed to be extended to all categories of hotels so that room capacity expansion takes place to accommodate tourists to India during the 2010 Delhi Games.

It said the infrastructure of the hospitality sector, especially in five-star hotel category in Delhi and NCR where majority of tourists are likely to stay during the event, was inadequate.

'Therefore, their capacities are required to be enhanced in which five-year tax holiday extension scheme would prove a great facilitator,' it said.

'The hotel industry is highly capital-intensive. A new five-star hotel needs investment ranging from Rs.300 crore to Rs.500 crore,' said Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat.

The chamber also reiterated its demand for infrastructure sector status for the hospitality industry to accelerate the pace of construction of more hotels across the country.

Wait till the Games for a secure Capital

Delhi Police are planning big things for a secure Capital. Only, most of these things will kick into action only by next year when the Commonwealth Games are scheduled.

The Ministry of Home Affairs have sanctioned 56 CCTV cameras for all the big markets and 27 such cameras at border check posts.

“CCTV cameras are being procured. We will install all the cameras before the Commonwealth Games,” said a senior police officer on the condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Cameras have been installed at market complexes in Vasant Vihar and at Ghazipur border.

There are several blind spots and market complexes where CCTV cameras are not working.

Police also plan to get real time video footage from across the city at the headquarters.