Budget increased for completion Delhi CWG 2010 of venues

The Delhi government has significantly increased its budget to complete venues for next year's Commonwealth Games in a positive response to criticism over construction delays, domestic media reported on Tuesday.

The regional administration has allotted an extra 9 billion rupees ($184 million) for the Oct 3-14 event in its annual budget presented on Monday, The Hindu daily reported.

The administration and Games organising committee have been blamed for the tardiness in the completion of venues, which also forced the world badminton championships to be shifted from the capital to Hyderabad.

Delhi has allotted 21.05 billion rupees ($431.4 million) for completing projects for the multi-sports gathering, with around half the sum coming from the federal coffers.

Meanwhile, local authorities, keen to spruce up New Delhi and attract more tourists when the Games are held, planned to clear the streets of beggars and would introduce mobile courts to punish those caught, the paper said.

Consultants would advise on the landscape around games venues while rickety public transport buses are being replaced by new ones in the sprawling city of over 14 million people.

DDA to buy 333 flats in Commonwealth Games Village for Rs700 cr

The Delhi Development Authority, or DDA, will purchase 333 flats for around Rs700 crore in the Commonwealth Games Village in an effort to bail out cash-strapped real estate developer Emaar MGF Land Ltd. The firm is developing the village, scheduled for completion by the end of 2010

In a statement on Monday, DDA said it would buy the flats at Rs11,000 per sq. ft, which is below the rate being charged by Emaar from open market buyers. Currently, Emaar has priced the flats at around Rs12,500 per sq. ft. Emaar MGF is developing the project in partnership with DDA.

Of the total 1,168 flats, Emaar MGF was supposed to sell 768 flats at market rates in late 2011 and the rest were to be sold by DDA after the games at lower prices. Emaar MGF was to fund the construction through the sale of flats. Bookings opened in 2008.
The firm has so far sold around 260 flats.

The amount towards the cost of the apartments will be released in instalments and has been linked to various stages of completion of flats, the statement said.

“The DDA’s decision to invest in the Games Village is a very positive development,” an Emaar MGF spokesperson said.

According to the DDA statement, due to non-sale of flats, Emaar MGF had asked DDA for a loan of Rs1,000 crore. However, it added, at no point had DDA agreed to a loan.
Earlier, a committee consisting of officials from the Central Public Works Department, Housing and Urban Development Corp. Ltd, National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd and DDA was formed to decide on the bailout package to be given to Emaar. Subsequently, DDA has decided to buy flats rather than give a loan.

17 Months Before CommonWealth Games, City Has Only 650 Buses On Road,2010 target: 11,000

It was a humble beginning for a giant dream.In November 2007, Sheila Dikhsit's government launched the first batch of 12 low-floor buses in the Capital,promising a complete public transport revamp by the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The plan was to introduce 11,000 of them byOctober 2010.It's May 2009 already and only 650 low-floor buses, including 25 air-conditioned ones,arerunning in Delhi.

With just 17 months left before Delhi hosts the world's second largest sporting event after the Olympics, the government is getting jittery.The suppliers are reportedly struggling to meet the demand.

While Delhi Transport Corporation, a Delhi government undertaking, is to run 6,600 of these buses,the remaining will be run by private companies.These buses have to cover over 600 routes spread across 17 clusters in the city.

A concerned government called a meeting of the representatives of the two Indian bus manufacturers, Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland,on Tuesday.

"The Tata Motors have said they are going to ramp up facilities at their Alwar and Lucknow plants within two months to manufacture 400 buses a month instead of the 300 that they now produce," Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta said."Ashok Leyland too have some issues with DTC on the specification of the buses.They will be sorted out very soon," Mehta said.

A source in the Delhi government said delivering on the promise would be difficult for both companies."The manufacturers are yet to start delivering the 2,500 buses the DTC had placed an order for in mid-2008.The DTC is ready with another tender for 2,000 buses but waiting for the two companies to start delivering," the source,who is not authorised to talk to the media, said on condition of anonymity.

The Delhi government has also finalised the company to run buses on one of the 17 predefined clusters.The selections for the remaining 16 clusters will be finalised soon,signalling another major spike in demand for the two manufacturers.

The sources said problems havecompounded with the cen tral government's plan to introduce 15,000 low-floor buses in various Indian cities under the Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. Transport authorities of other states have also started approaching these manufacturers for their requirement of buses.

Safeguarding Delhi For Commonwealth Games:Police Procuring Gadgets & Technologies That Meet World Standards

With the Capital entering the final lap of preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Delhi police are also gearing up for the grand event. Aiming to make it a truly memorable occasion for the participants and visitors, the force is busy charting out an impregnable security arrangement keeping in mind all the threat perceptions.

Under the modernisation schemes, the police have been procuring state-of-the-art gadgets and technologies that meet world standards. On the weaponry front, the force has placed demands for 400 Austrian Glock-17 semi-automatic pistols and about 200 MP 5 sub-machineguns. While the Glock pistols would be allocated for general law and order maintenance, the light-weight and sophisticated MP 5 would mainly form part of the armoury of the security cordon for the visiting dignitaries, sportsmen and VIPs from various countries.

An advance trunk communication system is also on the purchase list. The high-end technology will facilitate both dedicated and inter-linked networks for secure communication at stadiums and residential complexes of the participants. It will also be used for coordination during the movement of the sportsmen, dignitaries and VIPs.

"We are also planning to get a frequency jammer and more bullet-proof vehicles," said a police officer.

Exclusively for the Games, the Delhi police have floated global tenders for procurement of 55 X-ray scanners, four sets of equipment for anti-sabotage checking teams, about 200 multi-zonal door-frame metal detectors and 550 hand-held metal detectors.

Strengthening the general surveillance system, the force has been installing sophisticated closed-circuit television camera networks. The Rs.200 crore-project is envisaged to cover 58 market places and 27 border checkpoints. Helicopters will be used extensively for conducting aerial reconnaissance.
Surveillance gadgets

Procurement of access-control and surveillance gadgets for venues will be done by the respective managers, but the police would be consulted on their specifications and placements.

As part of the counter-terror and anti-sabotage measures, the police are upgrading their bomb-detection and disposal squads through procurement of bomb blankets. The police plan to induct 48 more trained sniffer dogs for anti-sabotage checks. Two more BDS teams, apart from the existing ones, are being raised.

The central police control room, the backbone of the force, has already been upgraded through installation of an automatic call distribution system and introduction of map projection and an LCD display panel comprising Global Positioning System locations and a GPS-based vehicle tracking system for real-time monitoring of PCR vans. The force will have a fleet of about 1,000 PCR vans by 2010.

For More Information visit The Hindu Safeguarding Delhi for the Games

IITTM launches ‘Earn-while-you-learn’ programme for Commonwealth Games 2010

Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management (IITTM) has launched new series of the ‘Earn-while-you-learn’ programme in order to prepare volunteers for the Commonwealth Games 2010. The programme will be imparted to around 3,000 selected students from colleges and universities from the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby States in batches in the next one year. The commencement of the programme was officially inaugurated by Sujit Banerjee, Secretary – Tourism, Government of India at a function held at the IHM Pusa campus yesterday.

According to Prof Sitikantha Mishra, Director, IITTM, about 870 students will undergo the training programme during this summer in batches. The duration of the course is three weeks with six-hour programme every day. “We also want to utilise the holidays like Durga Puja, Diwali etc

for more information visit http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/iittm-launches-earnwhileyoulearn-programme-for-commonwealth-games-2010-6433

Commonwealth Games 2010 :Are We Ready To Prove To World, India Is Capable Of Organizing A World Class Event

The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi are just over a year away. The event is not only important for the development of sports
in the country, but also a chance for us to prove to the world that India is capable of successfully organizing a world class event, even in times of global problems like terrorism and the economic gloom.

For the past few months, some sections have been making a hue and cry over the preparations of the Games, which according to them are lagging well behind schedule and may not be complete in time for the mega event. We at Zeenews.com decided to visit the Commonwealth Games Village being readied for the 2010 Games to get a first-hand account of the ground reality.


Our first stop was the Commonwealth Games Village site being constructed near the famous Akshardham Temple in east Delhi. The village is the place where thousands of athletes coming to the capital will have residential facilities in around 1,160 flats. The dining facilities will be arranged in a separately constructed hall. Another site being built nearby will take care of the practice and recreational needs of the visitors.

Entering the village, especially without any prior intimation to the authorities of our visit, was like trying to penetrate into a fortress. There was an unprecedented level of security around the whole complex, not because the threat of a terror strike but as we discovered later, because the authorities were afraid that all the media wanted to do was to tarnish their image and highlight delays and faults in the construction process.

After a lot of convincing that we were not here for what they feared, we were allowed to get in but with strict instructions that photography was not allowed inside (it was for security reasons, is what they told us). First, we decided to head towards the residential complex. Construction was in full swing and by the look of it, the complex should be ready as per plans if there is no further delay due to unavoidable circumstances. Some of the people at the site told us that the construction company in charge was facing some problem due to lack of funds and has sought help from government authorities. However, no official was available at the site for a reaction.

Next we headed for the practice venue where we hoped to meet some DDA (Delhi Development Authority) officials and get some reactions and dates regarding the planned and expected completion of the mammoth project.

We were again stopped at the gate by the security personnel, who were a bit reluctant to let us in, especially after having seen a camera in our hands. However, after another round of arguing and convincing that we had got so used to by now, he finally allowed us in but on condition that we will have to speak to the officials before even trying to look at the construction site. On our way to meeting the officials we decided to have a sneak peek at the construction site and apart from a few workers and trucks; things did not look very encouraging with no visible structures in place.

The practice venue is supposed to have facilities such as an Olympics size swimming pool, an athletics track and a world-class fitness center, apart from other facilities for sports such as weightlifting and wrestling. The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to take place in October 2010 and the completion date for the entire complex has been put at March-April in the same year.

The officials present at the site tried to convince us that the work was on course for completion at the stipulated time and that there will be no compromise with the pre-determined plan. The work, according to them, had started here in July 2008 and that there will be visible structures at the site in another six months, as all the basic work of laying the foundations has been completed. We were told that 1,200 tons of steel had already been used in the construction process. A DDA official, though reluctantly and on condition of anonymity, did admit that the work was a little behind schedule but the admittance was backed by confidence that there was still more than a year left before the completion deadline and that things will be flawless by then.

He then showed us the exact location of the swimming pool site as well as other places where, according to the authorities, the structures will ‘magically’ start to appear in the next few months. The foundations we saw were already in place as he had told us, but there were very few signs that could lead us into believing the rather desolate looking place will actually start appearing like something that the model of the site present at the location looked like.

Final verdict: If you believe the officials, we can be rest assured that the Commonwealth Games will turn out to be a highly successful event and a show of strength by India, but if you believe your eyes, we will need a lot more than just a bit of divine intervention.

Queen's baton for 2010 Commonwealth Games unveiled

On Sunday evening, India Gate will come alive with music, fireworks and flying angels creating a symphony in mid-air. The baton for the Commonwealth relay, the Olympics equivalent of the torch relay, will be showcased for the first time in the capital before it is sent to London.

The baton, designed in Bangalore, will be unveiled by LG Tejinder Khanna in a glittering affair that will also display Commonwealth themes on the India Gate in a fascinating laser and light show. A huge stage, flanked by water screens, will be set up in front of the Amar Javan Jyoti and over 200 artists including 15 artists from UK’s famous Toll Theatre, dressed up as angels, will perform in mid-air and eventually hand over the baton to the Game’s committee members. The troupe will be performing for the first time in the country. The baton relay will start from Buckingham Palace in November this year.

Rajiv Makin, director (commercial and marketing), India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) said: “The show will be open for all. About 120 private security officials other than Delhi Police personnel have been deployed for the function. Apart from performers and the show management, there are about 300 people who are working hard to make the show a success. About 20,000 people are expected to witness the event.”

There will also be folk and classical dance performances by Indian troupes. Ganesh Natyalaya will perform bharatnatyam while the Asavari Repertory will have a kathak performance. A contemporary dance segment will be presented by the Santosh Nair group.