Commonwealth Games Venues will be ready by March: Central Public Works Department (CPWD) chief

With less than a year left for Commonwealth Games 2010, Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the agency carrying out renovation and up gradation of five stadium, is determined to complete work on the sporting venues by March next year.

Newly-appointed director general of CPWD Bhishm Kumar Chug told TOI, "All the venues will be ready by March next year. Major thrust is on timely completion of work."

According to an urban development ministry report, by September, 64 per cent work had been completed in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JLN), the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies. In case of Indira Gandhi (IG) Stadium, 56 per cent work had been done.

With a new time line in place, the CPWD chief was confident that both JLN and IG stadium would be ready by March, claiming construction work was going on at renewed pace. "Construction work is going on in double shift now," Chug said.

Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, which has achieved 89 per cent completion, would be ready by November whereas Karni Singh Shooting Range with 64 per cent completion, would be ready by December.

Now Waste Plastic to Strengthen Roads

Government of Delhi started its initiative for a cleaner environment banning plastic bags some time before, now in a new move the waste plastic will be used to build roads in Delhi and NCR. Read on...

To ensure a smooth ride during the Commonwealth Games, Public Works Department (PWD) is going to use waste plastic technology to resurface a total of 242-km road length in the city at a cost of around Rs 250 crore. The new technology will ensure longevity of the roads.

Minister, PWD, Rajkumar Chauhan on Friday inaugurated the resurfacing work of roads in south Delhi. He said: "Special attention is being paid to roads leading to Games venues. All Delhi roads will be built using international technology.'' The waste plastic technology involves mixing waste plastic and bitumen. This ensures greater longevity and flexibility of roads.

Work on strengthening the roads using waste plastic and micro-surfacing technology has begun on 71-km road length under PWD in south Delhi and 32-km of roads in east Delhi. The technology has already been used to resurface around 60km of the roads in Delhi. This technology will help take care of plastic waste in the city.

Resurfacing of key roads in south Delhi using waste plastic technology will cost around Rs 33.22 crore. These roads include Airport area, Rama Road, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, IGP Slip Road, Bhairon Marg, Okhla Estate Marg no-13, Bhakti Vedanta Marg, Anuvrat Marg, etc. According to PWD officials, the resurfacing of roads will be completed by June 2010.

"Plastic technology is eco-friendly and consumes less material. The thickness is raised by only 10-15mm and such roads would last up to seven years,'' added Chauhan.

Said PWD secretary K K Sharma: "The bitumen melts at higher temperatures during summer and when mixed with plastic it adds to the flexibility and durability of roads.''

Besides waste plastic technology, PWD is also using in-situ technology to resurface roads and a 100 crore project has already been approved by the government. Under in-situ technology, raw material on the surface of the road is removed, heated and after adding some amount of new material it is used again for re-laying of road. This helps in maintaining the level of the road and is eco-friendly as well.

Yamuna Expressway to be completed before Games

The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh inaugurated Metro services in Delhi few days before. Now the senior official is eyeing the revenue which the commonwealth games can generate for UP, so they want to finish other projects as well before games.

Intending to make Yamuna Expressway a growth engine for all future development of the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued directives that the expressway be completed and open to traffic before the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Sticking to the time schedules, the concessionaire of the project Jaypee Infratech is working at neck breaking speed, having completed almost 80% of the earthwork and starting off with concreting from Noida end.

Speaking to FE on condition of anonymity, an official of the state government said lot of prestige is associated with the project as it will be the first infrastructure development project that would finally see the light of the day during the two-and-a half year reign of chief minister Mayawati. In a way it would be the yardstick by other developers for investing in the state.

The chief minister has many more ambitious plans for the state, all of which would either revolve around Yamuna Expressway or would be fostered by it. With land for the entire 165-km expressway already available with the developer, a massive workforce of around 10,000 people has been pumped in to work round the clock to complete the mega project. The total cost of the project is pegged at Rs 10000 crore.

The expressway, which will cross the five districts of Gautambudh Nagar, Aligarh, Mahamaya Nagar (Hathras), Mathura and Agra, will have six interchanges from point zero at Noida. Apart from these interchanges, other structures like car tracks, pedestrian pathways, canals, bridges and underpasses are also being constructed simultaneously.

A senior official of the Yamuna Expressway Authority said a total of six toll plazas are being proposed. While there would be two each at Gautambudh Nagar and Mathura, Aligarh and Agra would have one toll plaza each.

The project, which is being constructed on build operate transfer PPP basis, will be maintained and operated by the concessionaire during the entire concession period of 36 years and after expiry of the concession period, it shall be handed over to the authority. An official of the company stated that the toll amount is being worked upon and no final shape has been given to it yet.

Government Seeking Private Players for tourist bus services

The Delhi government is looking to rope in a private player to fund its hop-on-hop-off bus services for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

According to Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, bids for the bus service will be announced by the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC). “The initiative will be in partnership with Delhi Tourism, but the basic funding will be provided by the private player, who will supply the buses and bear the costs,” Mehta said.

Though the government had originally planned running double-decker buses along the lines of the services provided in London and Paris, Mehta said that with the Games deadline closing in, the government plans to run only ordinary buses for now. “Buses in line with specifications meant for Delhi will have to be planned, so we will begin with ordinary buses and take it from there,” Mehta said.

To be initiated on the lines of tourist bus services in London and Paris, the hop-on-hop-off service has buses running along pre-defined routes that connect the city’s heritage sites, museums and cultural spots. Tourists will have to buy a consolidated ticket and will have the option of boarding a bus at any of the tourist spots along the route and get off at their convenience.

DDA Cancelled Contract for not meeting Deadline

With six months left to the deadline, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) seems to have decided to become a strict paymaster. It has terminated the contract of the consortium building the practice areas in the Commonwealth Games Village, a first for the land agency in a Games-related project. The reason: failure to meet expectations and norms as per the agreement. Now, DDA plans to implement the project itself.

Admitted Neemo Dhar, spokesperson for the DDA, "We rescinded the contract as the terms of the agreement were not being met. The DDA will now implement the project through sub-contractors.'' The decision comes barely months before the deadline June 2010. The internal deadline for the agency's contractors is, incidentally, March 2010. The consortium Sportina Payce Infrastructure Pvt Ltd was to build the practice venues within the Commonwealth Games Village, including the swimming, wrestling and athletic tracks as well as the field area for hammer throw and other facilities. With the termination however, DDA will have to step into the breach, admitted officials.

Sources in the land agency claimed that one of the primary reasons for the termination was the consortium’s inability to provide adequate labor, resulting in unmet deadlines. A senior DDA official said, "The contractor had been engaged last year but deadlines were not being met consistently. Despite repeated warnings, there was no improvement, so the contract had to be terminated.'' Despite repeated attempts, officials from Sportina Payce were not available for comments.

Said a senior official, "We expect the work to continue without a hitch as the sub-contractors will remain the same, only they will be working for us directly now.'' Officials said that work on the venues had already started under the agency in order to meet the March deadline. "It is a tough task, especially as a large part of the work still needs to be done. With DDA directly handling the project, it is expected that the project will get back on track, though the internal March deadline may not be a possibility,'' added the official.

Its not the first time that work at the Village has come to a grinding halt due to differences with the contractor. Earlier this year, lack of funds had prompted Emaar MGF, the consortium in-charge of the Village construction, to stop work at the site. While DDA had eventually rescued the consortium at that time with a financial bailout, the interruption had resulted in delay of the project. This time, DDA is hoping that the termination of the contractor will not have an impact, despite the fact that only four months are left to the internal deadline.

2014 Commonwealth Games venues 'behind schedule'

Key venues for the 2014 Commonwealth Games are behind schedule for completion and ministers have not formed a plan for handling future problems, auditors have found.

A report by Audit Scotland said the new national indoor sports arena is being delayed, along with the revamp of the national swimming centre in Glasgow.

The report was written before organisers admitted this week there was £81 million ‘black hole’ in the event’s budget, but predicted the original £373 million cost could escalate.

It highlighted “unrealistic assumptions” by officials and warned that, with public spending facing a squeeze, cutbacks may have to be made.

All the venues are expected to be built in time for the games, but the report warned there is not much margin for error as some are scheduled for completion just a few months beforehand.

Scottish ministers have also failed to draw up a risk management plan to help ensure there are no further cost overruns.

Bill Aitken, a Tory Glasgow MSP, said: “Unless a firm hand is exercised, this project could spiral out of all control.”

Ross Finnie, Scottish Liberal Democrat sport spokesman, said: “The report confirms our fears that Monday’s storm of excuses for the budget increase won’t be the last.

“We’re likely to see the budget creep up and the Scottish government’s budget will have to be raided to plug the gaps.”

The report found new venues, such as the national indoor sports arena and the velodrome, are running behind completion estimates of March 2010 by 21 months.

The Cathkin Braes cycling course is now expected to be complete in March 2012, almost three years late, and the refurbishment of Glasgow Green hockey complex is not due to be completed until March 2013, 18 months late.

Meanwhile, the finishing date for the Kelvingrove bowls complex has slipped from September 2010 to August 2012.

And the refurbishment of the national swimming centre in Glasgow has been delayed from December 2011 until June 2012. The athletes' village is not due be ready until February 2014.

Hampden Park is due to host track and field events and the closing ceremony, while the triathlon will be held at Strathclyde Country Park.

Although refurbishment of both are on schedule has not been delayed, they will not be ready until March 2014, four months before the games start.

For this reason, the report noted the two venues and the athletes’ village “present a higher risk if there is any delay to their current timescales.”

“The experience of previous major capital projects is that there is a high risk of slippage, therefore these should also be closely monitored,” it concluded.

“Potentially unrealistic assumptions” included the level of sponsorship for the Games. The £81 million cost overrun announced this week was blamed on the income from the sale of TV rights being overestimated.

Caroline Gardner, Deputy Auditor General for Scotland, said organisers “need to continue to monitor and review the budget assumptions regularly.”

The Scottish Executive said the report provided a “snapshot” of planning for the Games until August this year, and “substantial progress” had been made since.

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.