MTNL Set To Make Rs. 150 Cr From Commonwealth Games; TCIL Rs. 85 Cr

Government owned entities Mahanager Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL) will be paid at least Rs. 235.55 crore for digital services and equipment provided at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, according to a statement filed in the Lok Sabha: MTNL will be paid Rs. 150 crore to set up the Games Data Network (GDN) for Games Applications, Voice & Multimedia, Security Data Network (SDN) for CCTV/Video Surveillance, and Broadcast Network (BN) for High Definition Broadcast. It will receive Rs. 182 crore from Ministry of Sports on a “wet lease” basis, Rs. 30 crore from Ministry of Home Affairs for uses of security data network and Rs. 73 crore from Organising Committee for using data and various other services. MTNL is going to provide communication facilities in 48 sites in the city.

Some rates being charged by MTNL, via this rate card:

- $30 for a SIM card (with $20 balance), GSM handset at $52.
-  $643 for an ADSL broadband connection at 2mbps download, 512kbps upload speed. Single port ADSL modem at $42
- $125 for Wireless Internet Service (144kbps) with unlimited usage. (ED: what a rip-off: not even MTNL 3G at the games? what good is unlimited use at 144kbps?)
Additionally, there are two ISDN connections available – $700 for basic rate, and $4550 for Primary rate. Rates have not been specified yet.

MTNL reported revenues of Rs. 971.6 crore for the quarter ending June 30th 2010, and a net loss of Rs. 450.7 crore.

Additionally, TCIL has been awarded following projects to be executed for CWG on cost plus basis:
1. Supply, installation, Testing & Commissioning of Complete Voice over IP (VoIP) Telephony Solution at Games Head Quarter (NDCC Building)- (Project Estimate Value Rs. 1.48 crore).
2. Supply & Operational Support for Network Equipment (estimated Rs. 34.29 crore)
3. Supply of Computer Hardware (estimated Rs. 6.75 Crore)
4. Supply, Installation, Testing & commissioning of Outdoor Data Cabinets (estimated Rs. 7.6 crore)
5. Cable Access TV Services (estimated Rs. 1.38 crore)
6. Supply, Installation & Commissioning of Office Automation Equipment (estimated Rs. 17.61 crore)
7. Supply, Installation & Commissioning of Audio Visual Equipment (estimated Rs. 5.19 crore)
8. Passive Network Cabling at different venues and Stadiums (estimated Rs. 11.25 crore)

The cost to the user appears to be significantly higher than normal, though: According to this rate card published at the CWG website http://www.cwgdelhi2010.org/.

Ten confident Delhi is ready for Commonwealth Games

Network Ten are confident that Delhi will be ready for the opening of the Commonwealth Games in October despite media reports suggesting venues are way behind schedule.

Both Indian and international media coverage is questioning whether the venues for the Games will be completed in time for the October 3 opening ceremony with further reports suggesting corruption is rife and the quality of the construction is questionable.

Ten’s general manager of sport David White said that while there is some basis to the claims, the major stadiums are finished.

“These are going to be great Games,” White says. “There’s a lot of good news that doesn’t get reported.”

“The Indian way, as they say, is not to put the marquee up until the bride comes round the corner and we’ve experienced that,” he says.

White also addressed concerns over the security of both athletes and spectators in Delhi.

“As far as security goes, I have no concerns. The Indians have taken every precaution, as has the Australian government.”

Ten has Coles, AAMI, Hungry Jacks and Commonwealth Bank on board as sponsors of their games’ coverage, which will be split in Australia between Ten and Foxtel.

Firm got more than sponsorship it brought

CYG : SMAM was paid Rs 2.68 crore for bringing in sponsorship of Rs 2.11 crore, says report

The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee which has terminated its contract with Sports Marketing and Management (SMAM) over alleged non-performance and inability to deliver sponsorship targets, states it did not pay a single rupee to the Australian company.

But SMAM, which had also been hired for bringing in sponsorship for the 2008 Pune Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG), the precursor to the Commonwealth Games, appears to have earned more commission than sponsorship it had raked in.

According to the interim inspection report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), during the Pune CYG, the OC received a total sponsorship of Rs 19.99 crore. Of this, public sector undertakings (PSUs) contributed Rs 17.88 crore or 89.45 per cent.

t was only the remaining sponsorship of Rs 2.11 crore that SMAM finally generated for CYG, but for that, the company was paid a commission of Rs 2.68 crore.

Though OC Secretary General Lalit Bhanot had earlier stated in New Delhi that no money was paid to SMAM, when contacted by The Indian Express on Tuesday, he conceded “a small amount was paid to the company” during CYG as per the contract.

He, however, refrained from confirming the amount, stating he did not have the requisite papers with him.

According to the contract, the company was to be paid a commission of 15 per cent of the total sponsorship it brought in. However, the sponsorship came mainly from PSUs like the Bank of Maharashtra, BSNL, HPCL and SAIL with the exception of Coca Cola which was the sole private sponsor.

Incidentally, the Finance Ministry decrees that no commission be paid for any contribution made by a public sector to any organization. The CAG is now apparently investigating why the OC signed up again with a firm that had failed to bring in sponsorship during the Pune games.

CYG merchandise worth Rs 24.5 lakh idle
The audit report prepared for the financial year ended March 31, 2009 by the Office of the Director General of Audit, Central Revenues, has noted that merchandising products of CYG-Pune 2008, costing Rs 124.04 lakh, were distributed but products costing Rs 24.55 lakh were left as idle stock, which had no resale value. “I believe later some part of this was auctioned to cover the loss,” added Anil Sharma of A Sharma and Co. the Delhi-based chartered accountants that conducted the audit.

Also listing under irregularities, the report states that Rs 2.02 crore was spent on sponsorship “which was out of the scope of sponsorship agreements” and an expenditure of Rs 52.83 lakh was made on hiking pay and allowances of employees of CYG, Pune.

CWG corruption plot gets murkier

An investigation by a news channel has revealed a web of ownership details of firms awarded contracts by the Organising Committee of the Delhi Games that point to conflicts of interest. The channel, NDTV, revealed evidence linking Australia-based company, Sports Marketing and Management (SMAM) to
Consortium of Event Knowledge Services (EKS) and Craig McLatchey, a member of the Commonwealth Games Coordination Committee (Cocomm) who attended all meetings of the Cocomm till May 2009. Mclatchey has ownership links to both SMAM and EKS.

Reacting to the news, Mclatchey told the channel, “It’s a vicious campaign against me. It’s based on innuendo and a smear campaign of misreporting. It appears there are people with reason to cause us harm.”

According to the channel, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) awarded a Rs. 29 crore contract to EKS for providing consultancy on the Games. The interim report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) termed this as an undue favour by the OC.

The report goes on to say that the OC did not follow proper procedure in choosing the Consortium of EKS and Ernst and Young as consultants. According to the CAG report, there was insufficient competition for selection of consultant with no comparable financial bid.

Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Mike Hooper spoke to HT and said, “There is absolutely nothing in this. The potential conflict of interest was declared and acknowledged, and the OC awarded the contract after following the laid down procedure. They awarded the contract after deciding that EKS was the best option for the job.”

SMAM’s services were terminated last month by the OC on grounds of ‘non-performance’. The company reacted strongly to the termination, saying, the OC had “wrongfully, viciously, terminated the agreement”. Hooper had previously backed SMAM, even after the company was sacked.

No worries, CWG will be a success: IOC chief

IOC president Jacques Rogge predicted Tuesday that the Commonwealth Games in India will be a success, despite preparations being overshadowed by corruption allegations and delays in venues being completed. Things have become so bad in India that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed a new group
of ministers to oversee preparations, visit venues each week to monitor progress and ensure contractors meet fresh deadlines.

The ministers were meeting in New Delhi on Sunday to plan how to hasten lagging preparations for the events beginning October 3 in the Indian capital.

Rogge, however, blamed much of the problems on “pessimistic media” and said he the Commonwealth Games will showcase India’s ability to host big sporting events.

“I’m optimistic in spite of everything written by pessimist media for the Commonwealth Games,” Rogge told The Associated Press.

“They will show the capacity of India to organize great games.”

NZ official refuses to commit to CWG

Wellington: In a development which has the potential to land a body blow to the controversy-marred Delhi Commonwealth Games, a top New Zealand official has refused to commit participation of Kiwi athletes till their safety concerns are addressed next month.

New Zealand Federation of Athletes chief Rob Nichol said that “hand on heart” he could not say whether his country would send a team in the Commonwealth Games. “The biggest mistake we can make right now is forcing ourselves into a position where we have to make a decision,” Nichol said.

Wallaby Turner joins Aussie quest for  gold

Melbourne: Wallaby winger Lachie Turner has been included in Australia’s rugby sevens squad for October’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where they will be looking to win gold for the first time.

The Waratahs flyer is one of two Wallabies to be included in the 12-man squad for the Oct. 3-14 Games in India alongside utility back Luke Morahan, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) announced on Tuesday.

Australia will be seeking a first medal since the bronze they won in the sport’s debut at the quadrennial Games in 1998.

Narang to participate

New Delhi: India’s ace rifle shooter Gagan Narang said Tuesday that he would participate in the Commonwealth Games here from Oct 3-14. Earlier this month Narang, who was overlooked for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for the third consecutive time, felt he was demotivated and didn’t want to take part in the Games.

But Narang, who won the bronze at the World Championship in Munich, said that the overwhelming response from well-wishers, family and the shooting fraternity has moved him.

Safety the primary concern for CGF

Safety, as reported by HT 10 days ago, will be the primary concern of Commonwealth Games Federation when its president arrives here for his two-day visit on Wednesday. The CGF chief, Mike Fennell, during an exclusive interview with HT, had asked the Games Organising Committee to provide fitness
certificates from each of the agencies involved in the preparation of the stadiums — which are primarily, the central public works department, the state public works department, the Delhi Development Authority and the Sports Authority of India.

On Tuesday, CGF chief executive officer Mike Hooper reiterated the concern and said the OC should be ready with the relevant certificates regarding health, fire and safety. "Safety of our athletes is the primary concern," said Hooper. "We need the certifications so that we can reassure our member countries that everything is alright and there is nothing to worry about."

According to CGF, the two days will be spent inspecting the venues and meeting all the officials who have been entrusted with the job of conducting a smooth Games. The CGF, however, said that they would need a concrete answer from the OC and the other agencies as to whether the stadiums would be 'fit for purpose'.

The OC said it was ready to take Fennell to all the stadiums. Lalit Bhanot, the secretary general and the spokesperson of the OC on Tuesday said, "He will see for himself and let him decide. We are ready with everything. Let him assess things as he sees them." As for the certifications, Bhanot said, "we have got them and if there is something missing somewhere that too will be fixed."

Games, lies and videotape

'Delhi is fully prepared for the Commonwealth Games': The state government will leave no stone unturned to sell you this line. Never mind broken roads and flooded stadia — the proof before your eyes — Delhi is ready because CM Sheila Dikshit's on tape giving Games preparedness both thumbs
up! 

Delhi government's Games publicity campaign has moved beyond the giant banners of the now-malnutritioned Shera. So next time you are at your nearest movie theatre, do not be surprised to find Dikshit on the big screen making bigger promises of a successful Games. A promotional video that is to be screened during movie intervals, will  feature Delhiites, a few top Indian athletes, the CM and — yes — unfinished projects.

According to Delhi Government sources, the CM is set to launch one of these videos next week.

"The video features Delhiites and the theme is 'Dilli Meri Jaan'. This video will be launched by the CM and then would be played on the television as well as in theatres during intervals," said a senior official in the Delhi Government.

A preview of sorts was screened on Independence.

"As it was Independence Day we wanted people to watch the video. So we distributed it at a select few movie theatres all over the city so that people could get a first hand feel of it. But officially it is yet to be launched," added the official.

The video however does not seem to have gone down well.

"I saw it at a theatre in Saket. A bunch of people dance without any rhythm or choreography. How can they assure that the Games would be conducted smoothly when none of the work is complete?" said Rateesh Dangwal, an MBA aspirant.

With nothing concrete to show in the name of completed projects, all the video features is some unfinished roads, a few athletes like wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Singh, Delhi cops and locals dancing in front of India Gate.

"The main idea of the video is to instill confidence among people that the Games would happen smoothly come what may."