Sports theme based 'Shilpotsav-2010' to attract CWG tourists

Taking a cue from the Commonwealth Games, a sports theme based shopping festival - 'Shilpotsav-2010' - will be held here Oct 22-31 to attract tourists staying back after the Games.

The festival, to be held at Noida Stadium, in Sector-21 A, will be organised by Uttar Pradesh Ministry of Tourism in association with the Noida authority and the union tourism ministry.

The crafts fair will boast of 300 stalls and will provide an opportunity to tourists to acquaint themselves with the traditional crafts of India.

Besides India, craftsmen from Malaysia, Dubai, Mauritius, China, Indonesia and Singapore are also expected to participate in the fest.

Abhilash Sharma, regional director of the Uttar Pradesh tourism ministry, feels that "the festival would ensure a clean and friendly atmosphere with world class arrangements and will surely be a grand success".

The 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony for the fest took place Monday.

The fair will also have 100 stalls for commercial institutions and authorities. The allotment of stalls will be on a first-come-first-serve basis and free accommodation will be provided to the craftsmen during their stay here.

Other features include a 'senior citizen cabin' at the venue equipped with a doctor to attend to senior citizens and handicapped people in need of medical help; an amusement park; a museum exhibiting the main tourist  attractions of the state like Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, Ambedkar Park, Mathura-Vrindavan; and food courts comprising popular outlets like McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Nirulas', Haldiram's, among others.

The entry ticket per person will cost Rs.10 while the entry for handicapped and children will be free. These will be available at cinema halls and leading shopping malls in Noida.

The venue will also host musical performances by artists like Sabri Brothers, Kavita Seth, Jasbir Jassi, Surendra Sharma, Malini Awasthi and Hemant Brijwasi.

During the 10-day fair, special transportation services like free shuttle service, battery-powered vehicles for senior citizens and feeder service from the Metro station to the festival ground will be made available for the convenience of the commuters.

The 19th Commonwealth Games will be held in the capital Oct 3-14.

CWG shopping festival begins today

Decorated and illuminated markets will greet visitors as the Commonwealth Games Shopping Festival at mjor markets in the capital will be inaugurated in New Delhi on Saturday evening, an official said. Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi would launch the festival at 5 pm
at Ajmal Khan Road in the Karol Bagh market.

"The festival will be on the lines of the Diwali preparations. It will offer attractive discounts, cultural activities and 100 percent satisfaction," Delhi Traders Association president Surinder Dhir told IANS.

According to an official, the festival has already created a lot of buzz in the form of queries from shoppers who are eagerly anticipating the offers and discounts.

The festival, an initiative of the Commonwealth Games 2010 Organising Committee and the Delhi Traders Association, will be held for 20 days till Oct 15 across all main markets in Delhi.

It will be held in popular markets like Greater Kailash, South Extension, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, Lajpat Nagar, Connaught Place, Kamla Nagar, Ajmal Khan Road, Rajouri Garden and Chawri Bazar, to name a few.

The markets will also be decorated and illuminated to induce the spirit of the Games and provide visitors with an insight into the cultural heritage of India.

"Volunteers from a firm called Personal Shoppers India (PSI) which is an initiative of the All India Traders Congress (AITC) will assist the foreigners so that they are not fleeced," Dhir said.

Although PSI was launched a year back, it will exclusively work for the Commonwealth Games throughout the festival without any commission as a social responsibility, he added.

"The tourists can also log on to PSI's website and contact them to arrange customised shopping for them," Dhir said.

Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 teams are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India's biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games.

Scottish athletes fly out to India for Commonwealth Games

THE Scotland team flew out of Glasgow today after fears over the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi finally began to be calmed.

With several high-profile athletes deciding not to take part in India because of a combination of health, safety and security fears the 19th Commonwealth Games had looked in serious doubt.

But despite the poor condition of the athletes village and the collapse of a pedestrian bridge and partial collapse of a ceiling in the weightlifting arena, all of the home nations will be in India.

With England already having sent athletes out yesterday and Wales and Northern Ireland also having confirmed their participation, Team Scotland's 192 athletes today began to travel with an Emirates flight out of Glasgow.

The remainder of the Team Scotland athletes will travel out over the coming days ahead of the Games which run from October 3-14.

As the first Scottish athletes departed today among those at the airport was the Minister for Public Health and Sport Shona Robison, who said: "The Scottish Government and its Games partners have worked hard to ensure that Team Scotland can participate in a safe and successful Commonwealth Games and I am very pleased to see our athletes boarding flights and setting off for Delhi.

"We are continuing to review the progress made on the ground and I have once again spoken to the Indian Sports Minister to stress the importance that the assurances given by the Indian Government translate into action in order that the Village is ready to receive the athletes due to stay there.

"I would like to take this opportunity to once again commend our team who have dealt extremely well in what has been very challenging circumstances.

"These challenges however should not distract from the efforts of the athletes who have devoted years to training in a bid to pull on the national jersey and represent their country on the international stage.

"I look forward to offering my support to the team in Delhi and I am sure all of Scotland will join me in wishing everyone the very best of luck in their quest for Commonwealth glory."

Games president: 'A lot of work needed' before start date

Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell has said there is still “a lot of work” to be done before the event gets underway in Delhi on October 3.

Fennel had a tour of the athletes’ village and held a meeting with Indian government officials yesterday following complaints about the readiness of the village.

Delhi’s preparations have also been hit by failures in the construction of venues. On Tuesday a bridge at the Jawaharlal Nehru complex, the centrepiece of the Games, collapsed leaving over 20 people injured before part of the ceiling at the weightlifting arena fell in on Wednesday.

Fennell had said yesterday that he had been heartened by “considerable improvements” made to facilities, but he sounded a more cautionary note today.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done, to do the final touches, and there’s more work in the village. It’s not over yet,” he told a press conference.

Several teams delayed their departures to India due to their concerns, and at one point there were worries that some nations would choose to withdraw from the Games.

The event has seen a host of individual competitors opt to pull out, but Fennell confirmed that he was expecting all 71 teams to participate in Delhi.

“I am very happy that today we are recording that there will be full participation in the games,” Fennell said.

"I was very pleased to hear that the teams that had indicated some reservations had given instructions for their teams to travel to Delhi."

He also confirmed that he will make another inspection of the athletes’ village today, and admitted that the work that is currently being carried out should have been completed well ahead of the Games.

“The work that is being done now ought to have been done before, but we are concentrating on how to get things done so athletes can enjoy the best possible conditions when competing at the Commonwealth Games.

“We are very concerned that the effort and momentum of the work will continue and not just until the teams arrive, but throughout the Games.”

When asked if he felt that the CGF had been let down by India, Fennell said: “We are disappointed in a number of things.

“A lot of damage has been done to India, which is the largest Commonwealth country. We need to learn lessons for hosting other events as well. This is part of the learning process. I hope India would have learnt a lesson, we would have learnt a lesson.”

Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi suggested that the delay in some of the work was down to the late handover of some of the venues.

He said: “As far as the village is concerned. We have taken over the venues a little late and that is where the problems came.

“We have been working on this for the last few years and I am chairman of the OC and I will take responsibility, but I wish the venues were handed to us a little earlier.”

Coca Cola partners with Delhi for CWG culture gala

Celebrating the spirit of Commonwealth Games 2010, Coca-Cola India Friday announced its partnership with the Delhi Tourism in  jointly organising one of the country's biggest ever cultural extravaganza - "Delhi Celebrates".

The partnership was formalised through an agreement between Rina Ray, managing director of Delhi Tourism and principal secretary (culture) of the Delhi Government and Akeel Mohammed, vice president of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited in the presence of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

This cultural fiesta will showcase India's rich and diverse culture of music, dance, art, theatre and culinary expertise.

An extensive campaign for "Delhi Celebrates" will begin in seven cities in Delhi and attract Delhiites to the Commonwealth Games.

Speaking at the occasion, Dikshit said, "The Commonwealth Games 2010 is one of the biggest sporting events to be organised in India. 'Delhi Celebrates' is the perfect platform for us to showcase our cultural history to more than 7,000 athletes and delegates and thousands of tourists from different parts of the world. I urge the citizens of Delhi to come out and join the celebrations in support of the Commonwealth Games which symbolises the triumph of sportsman spirit over everything else."

The Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games will be India's biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games.

Fennell: All should share the blame

CGF President Mike Fennell on Saturday said that everyone in the CWG management has to share the blame for the lack of preparations.

Addressing a press conference a day after visiting the Games Village, Fennell said "considerable work has been done but still some more remains to be done."

But despite the controversy-marred build-up, Fennell asserted that calling off the Games "was never" on Commonwealth Games Federation's (CGF) agenda.

However, Fennell conceded that a lot of damage has been done to India's image. Flanked by embattled Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, Fennell said both India and the Commonwealth can learn a lesson from the shortcomings in organising the 19th edition of the Games scheduled October 3 to 14.

"The massive work that is being done now ought to have been done earlier," said Fennell.

"We all have to share the blame and responsibility. In any Games, there are a number of stakeholders, overall we have to ensure that we do everything to conduct the Games.

"Other Games have had problems and I believe that here also the problems would be sorted. A number of issues should have been and could have been avoided and that necessary corrective steps should be taken in good time," he added.

"We are going to have good Games," he insisted.

"A lot of damage has been done to India, which is the largest Commonwealth country. We need to learn lessons for hosting other events as well. This is part of the learning process. I hope India would have learnt a lesson, we would have learnt a lesson," he said.

Asked whether he felt let down by India, which won the hosting rights way back in 2003 but is in a desperate race against time to finish off the work, Fennell said, "We are disappointed in a number of things."

But the CGF boss said the time for blame-game was over and the focus should now be on conducting a safe and successful Games whatever be the scale of effort required.

"If we are committed to the same goal, we should not find faults and criticise each other because we all want that the Games are celebrated properly," he said.

His back against the wall, a defensive Kalmadi said he wished the venues had been handed to OC a little earlier.

"I am the chairman of Organising Committee and I will take all the responsibility but I wish venues were handed to us a little earlier," he said.

Both Kalmadi and Fennell had to face a barrage of uncomfortable questions on India's under-preparedness and the OC chief, in particular, came in for extensive grilling by both the Indian and international media.

Despite Fennell's assertion that there has to be collective responsibility for the current crisis, Kalmadi insisted that the CGF boss did not mean to blame the OC.

"I don't think he has pointed the finger at the Organising Committee. The developer has to hand the venues over to OC and then it is our responsibility. As far as the Games Village is concerned, 18 towers were handed to us and we completed the work on time. The rest 18 were handed over late and that is where the problem is," he explained.

"As far as the security goes, we have been having meetings for the last couple of years. The home ministry and Lt Governer have been taking constant meetings. We have had a CGF adviser who has come every second month.

"The international chefs de mission have also found the security to be fine. The Jama Masjid (shootout) incident is not related to the Games. These are minor issues, blown out of proportion," he said.

However, Kalmadi did admit that there were shortcomings in the preparations but assured that they would be rectified in the next couple of days.

"There were deficiencies and in another couple of days we will finish all the work. We have some issues in the Games Village but I think it is a fine Village. Only that some blocks have to be cleaned up. But all the infrastructure is good. The Games are going to be good. We are doing everything possible to your satisfaction.

"I can assure you that our aim is to host a good Games.

Our aim is to do as good as Melbourne," he said.

Speaking about the Village, which was dubbed "filthy and uninhabitable" by international delegates a few days ago, Fennell reiterated that considerable improvements have been made.

"Matters relating to transport, security and evacuation of buildings. The technology difficulties like wi-fi service.

Medical services and generally speaking all the matters that relate to living in the Village are being worked out.

"Following the action that has been taken by the government to ensure that the remedial work is done, I am very pleased to receive the news that the countries who were not convinced, have instructed their teams to travel to Delhi," he added.

Fennell said while the work continues at the residential blocks, the international zone has turned out be brilliant.

"On a happy note, the international zone has been completed and it is in very good condition and is an excellent international zone. The dining room and kitchen are excellent.

The food is good, we had a meal there and it was excellent," he said.

Both Kalmadi and Fennell had to face a barrage of uncomfortable questions on India's under-preparedness and the OC chief, in particular, came in for extensive grilling by both the Indian and international media.

Despite Fennell's assertion that there has to be collective responsibility for the current crisis, Kalmadi insisted that the CGF boss did not mean to blame the OC.

"I don't think he has pointed the finger at the Organising Committee. The developer has to hand the venues over to OC and then it is our responsibility. As far as the Games Village is concerned, 18 towers were handed to us and we completed the work on time. The rest 18 were handed over late and that is where the problem is," he explained.

"As far as the security goes, we have been having meetings for the last couple of years. The home ministry and Lt Governer have been taking constant meetings. We have had a CGF adviser who has come every second month.

"The international chefs de mission have also found the security to be fine. The Jama Masjid (shootout) incident is not related to the Games. These are minor issues, blown out of proportion," he said.

However, Kalmadi did admit that there were shortcomings in the preparations but assured that they would be rectified in the next couple of days.

"There were deficiencies and in another couple of days we will finish all the work. We have some issues in the Games Village but I think it is a fine Village. Only that some blocks have to be cleaned up. But all infrastructure is good. The Games are going to be good. We are doing everything possible to your satisfaction.

"I can assure you that our aim is to host a good Games.

Our aim is to do as good as Melbourne," he said.

Speaking about the Village, which was dubbed "filthy and uninhabitable" by international delegates a few days ago, Fennell reiterated that considerable improvements have been made.

Medical services and generally speaking all the matters that relate to living in the Village are being worked out.

"Following the action that has been taken by the government to ensure that the remedial work is done, I am very pleased to receive the news that the countries who were not convinced, have instructed their teams to travel to Delhi," he added.

Fennell said while the work continues at the residential blocks, the international zone has turned out be brilliant.

"On a happy note, the international zone has been completed and it is in very good condition and is an excellent international zone. The dining room and kitchen are excellent.

The food is good, we had a meal there and it was excellent," he said

Fennell lauded the international chefs de mission for cooperating in cleaning up the Village.

"All the chefs de mission have been very critical of the arrangements. But they have worked very hard and personally done some cleaning up work at the Village. This is a demonstration which is extremely positive. They are working extremely hard for their teams. They have shown solidarity with the CWG movement," Fennell said.

"The Organising Committee and the government departments have responded to the needs very well," he added.

Fennell said the CGF would be monitoring the progress of the preparations closely including security concerns and safety norms at the Village and at the venues.

"What is of great concern is the security of athletes and officials who would be at the Games Village. The fire systems and the alarm systems have to be in place. We are monitoring the situation carefully.

On whether the CGF has woken up late to Delhi's problems, Fennell said he has been pointing out issue all along.

"When I came here in August, I spoke about the cleaning up that was required and that there were a lot of debris and mess that needed to be cleaned. The OC is responsible for it and they rely on developers to handle that. The OC did not develop the venues, they were handed over the venues" he said.

"The CGF entrusts the organisation of the Games on OC.

That OC depends on agencies to build the venues. Those venues are handed over to OC during the Games. The responsibility lies with both the parties," he said.

Asked whether the venues and Games Village have the requisite safety certificates from government agencies, Fennell said, "To our best knowledge, the buildings are all certified."

The first batch of English athletes have landed here and they have based themselves in hotels instead of the Games Village, Fennell assured that they would soon be moving in to the Village.

"As soon as the apartments are clean and secure, they will move in. And this has been agreed that they will move in a phased manner. I am very happy that we are recording that there would be full participation in the Games," he said.

"The teams were very concerned about the well-being of their athletes. When we thought that we were not going at the right pace, I wrote to the Cabinet Secretary. While it was very sad that some of this work had not been done before but efforts are on," he added.

Asked about the pullouts that have dogged the Games, Fennell said not all of them can be linked to security and health fears.

"Some of them have happened but there have been reasons and some of them have got nothing to do with Delhi. Some of them said it's October, they have to go to school, some were injured and son on," he said.

Delhi Metro’s lines to IGI, Badarpur will open next week

There’s good news for the city. Delhi Metro’s two remaining sections — Airport Express Line and Central Secretariat to Badarpur — will be opened for public use next week. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is in the process of getting the mandatory certification from Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS).

The two lines will become operational soon, marking the completion of Phase II of Delhi Metro construction. Two stations on the Airport Express Line, however, will not open before the Commonwealth Games.

According to sources, the 25-km long fast link to IGI airport will be inspected by CMRS on September 27 and 28. The concessionaire of the line, Reliance Infra, has submitted the necessary documentation and pre-work for the inspection. After the safety certification comes through, the line will be opened.

‘‘ It is expected that the line will be opened within a day or two of the inspection . Two stations, Dhaula Kuan and Delhi Aerocity, will only be opened after the Commonwealth Games as construction of these is not complete yet,’’ said sources. The CMRS will also inspect the extention of Line 3 from Dwarka Sector 9 to Sector 21 on September 29, which will link Line 3 to Airport Line.

The Airport Link, which has a designed speed of 135kmph, will connect New Delhi Railway station (NDRS) and Dwarka sector 22 and stop at IGI on the way. It has three more designated stops at Shivaji Terminus, Dhaula Kuan and Delhi Aerocity. The line has been modelled on the Heathrow Express in London and the Hong Kong Metro airport link.

The airline and baggage check-in counters are being provided at the NDRS, Shivaji terminus and Dhaula Kuan metro stations, which will also start after the Games.

As for the Badarpur line, construction on which has been paced up by DMRC, the corporation is in the process of completing documentation to submit to CMRS by this week. The inspection is expected to take place next week, around September 20-30 , soon after which this line will also open.

‘‘ The Badarpur line had the shortest time for construction and last minute finishing work is still going on at the stations and on the last three kms of the line from Sarita Vihar to Badarpur. It will open by next week,’’ sources said.

The 20.16-km line, which connects Commonwealth Games venues including JN Stadium, is expected to open for public use by September end cutting down travel time from Central Secretariat to Badarpur to just 40 minutes.

It has stations at Central Secretariat , Khan Market, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Jangpura , Lajpat Nagar, Moolchand , Kailash Colony, Nehru Place, Kalkaji Mandir, Govindpuri , Okhla, Jasola, Sarita Vihar, Mohan Estate, Tughlaqabad and Badarpur.