Violation of labour laws at Games sites, Court told

A Delhi High Court-appointed four-member committee has said that construction workers at the Commonwealth Games sites here are not getting proper wages and working in unsafe and unhygienic conditions.

In a report submitted to the Court, the committee said though it was not confirmed whether all workers were getting minimum wages as the muster rolls were not verified, the system for payment of wages prevailing at the work sites were found to be prone to abuse.

The workers seemed unaware of the relevant law and rules which makes their plight more vulnerable, the report says.

In many cases workers were found not receiving overtime wages at all, and those who were paid were paid at the rate of ordinary wages for the day against the statutory provision of double the rate of ordinary wages, the report states.

In a large number of cases there was no weekly off for them and they were employed on daily wages and received payment for the days they actually worked.

The committee found that though basic safety gears were issued to workers at majority of the sites visited by it, the workers were generally found working without them. The wages, ranging from Rs.300 to Rs.800, of some of those workers who used the safety gears were deducted, the report says.

Accidents were reported at almost all the sites visited by the committee but they could not be verified. However, in most cases the accident report was not sent to the Commissioner of Workmen's Compensation.

Though safety officers were present at some of the sites, safety supervision was found to be rare and the workers were not imparted training.

Medical examination of workers at regular and prescribed intervals was usually not conducted. As for medical facilities, first aid centres at the work sites were few and all that was available was a first aid box, the report says.

As for accommodation, the workers were found to be living in deplorable unhygienic conditions and the number of toilets available was found to be far short of the requirement keeping in view the large number of workers.

The report also indicts the regulators concerned for their failure to ensure compliance of the labour laws and rules.

There appeared to be a distinct bias against employing women accompanying their husbands at the sites and providing suitable amenities for them. Only one crèche was found operational at the Games Village, the report states.

Members of the People's Union for Democratic Rights and other non-government organisations told the committee that they had sent reports of violation of the labour laws to the Central and the State Governments but no response or incomplete response was sent to them, the report states.

The Delhi High Court had appointed the committee on a public interest litigation by PUDR and others alleging exploitation of workers at the Commonwealth construction sites.

Our city, their city

Literally, Delhi doesn’t mean anything. And the same holds true for Zurich. We have the Yamuna flowing through — or rather clogging — the city, while Limmat charts its course through Zurich. But despite a few similarities between the two capital cities, there are things that make you feel “if only we had that”. Yet there are times when one misses saadi Dilli even amidst the spic and span atmosphere of the plush European city. Come Commonwealth Games and Delhi would look its best. Here’s what we can take from Zurich.

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Waterways: Yamuna is the worst example of how a natural lifeline should be treated. A den of illegal activities and chemical dumping, this river could have been the pride of the Capital. Well, people still take a dip in it.

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Waterways: The banks of Limmat are among the most popular strolling zones for the young and old. Spotting two lovers cosying up is a usual sight. Swans on the clean, calm water makes for a beautiful sight as it flows through the ‘old city’.

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Food: Well, if you truly want to savour Delhi, you should opt for the street food. From gobhi parantha in the wee hours at ITO to kakori kebabs in Nizamuddin, we love — and live in — the streets. Though plush restaurants serving global cuisine are found in bulk, the state bhawans impart Delhi its distinct food flavour.

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Food: No Swiss city comes cheap, and its Capital is no exception. But yes, one must admire the quality and quantity they adhere by and you just can go on hogging. Street food throws up limited options as the city’s freezing. But besides great restaurants, Hiltl, the only all-veggy restaurant, serves everything from dal makhni to shahi paneer. Treat for us Indians!

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Airport: With the recent makeover, the IGI airport has come of age. A separate smoking area, internet access, food court — it has that phoren feel to it now. The Metro connection is just the thing we need to up its status further as getting an autorickshaw there can be a pain.

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Airport: The Flugafen — ‘airport’ in German — is one of the best in Europe. Its lounge bar is the longest in Europe and the place throws loads of options
for travellers to shop and unwind over, thus making transits and delays hassle-free. It even has a prayer room!

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Monuments: You are driving on the flyover, through chic offices and malls... and suddenly you come across an old fort wall peeping through the trees — that’s Delhi for you.

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Monuments: Zurich is a beautiful blend of the old and the new. The old charm’s preserved even while plush streets and banks have come up. The churches take you back to the class 6 history lessons.

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Public life: Ours could be India’s best city, if only we love it. Littered roads, abuses filling the air, rash driving, uncivi-lised Metro commuters — and we have just six months before the world comes here.

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Public life: Clean roads, public transport running on time, phone booths — you love life here. Trams are the lifeline as cabs come expensive. If only there were a few public toilets!

Opposition can’t digest beef issue

The Opposition today threatened to disrupt the Commonwealth Games if the government allowed beef to be served during the 12-day sporting extravaganza.

Leader of the opposition in Delhi Assembly V.K. Malhotra said the country would protest if the state failed to uphold the ‘law of the land’.

Malhotra was referring to a news report quoting Delhi chief secretary saying that beef, if imported during the games, will only be for sportsmen and delegates.

Malhotra said the Delhi Assembly had enacted a law in 1994 prohibiting the import, export, packaging and serving of beef in Delhi.

The BJP MLAs demanded a statement from CM Sheila Dikshit that the law of the land will be upheld.

The BJP MLAs got angry and staged a walk out when Dikshit said the BJP members were “communal-minded” and trying to gain political mileage.

Clarifying Mehta’s statement, Dikshit later said that the catering service contracts were being arranged by the Organising Committee and the issue is between the OC, the kitchen contractor and the MCD, which can give permission under the municipal laws.

“The matter does not concern the Delhi government. It should be raised in MCD,” Dikshit said.”

Coming soon, Brand Delhi

Like “God’s Own Country” for Kerala, “Hindustan ka Dil” for Madhya Pradesh, and “Incredible India”, the National Capital, Delhi, will soon get its own unique brand to go with its tourism attractions.

The process to bring out “Brand Delhi” has started with a deadline to launch it well before the Commonwealth Games.

Indi-rock band Euphoria is composing Delhi’s theme song in English aimed at foreign tourists. There will also be a Sufi song to be sung either by Daler Mehendi or Kailash Kher aimed at the home crowd.

“We are deciding on a best-in-the-business advertising agency to work with us on this. It will be put to test during the Games and will also be a long-term campaign to highlight Delhi on India’s tourism map,” said Delhi Tourism Managing Director Rina Ray at the Delhi Tourism Conclave, which ended on Friday.

As part of the exercise to market Delhi as a fun and safe city, the government has decided to empower thousands of tourists during the Games with two useful tools—a call centre and a website.

The call centre, operating 24X7, will support a number of foreign languages and help tourists with anything and everything that they might need to know to make their Delhi experience better.

“The call centre can book a cab, connect you to hotels and restaurants and even lodge complaints on anything,” she said.

Apart from that, Delhi Tourism floated the tender to develop a website this week. The website will have links to all services tourists generally need—from airline tickets and hotels to massage treatment.

And all this will be compatible with mobile phones so that the site can be used on the go.

“These services will protect tourists from the various traps laid out by the city’s touts and conmen posing as helpful tourist agents,” Ray said. “Brand Delhi” is yet to come up with its logo or even a slogan, which, the Delhi Tourism hopes, will be ready with in a month.

Meanwhile, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) said today that the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue for the athletic events as also for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games will be ready by June after major renovations.

Rs687 cr boost for Commonwealth games Overlay

The Union Cabinet has approved the ministry of youth affairs and sports’s proposal for providing Rs687 crore for Overlay to the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. The proposal came in context of the government’s decision to assure that facilities are provided as per the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) recommendations and keeping in view the benchmarks set by 2006 Melbourne CWG and Beijing Olympics.

All temporary fittings, fixtures and equipment which are mandatory to make the training and competition venues ready come under Overlays. The installation of these equipment will make for excellence and capacity enhancement in all mega international and mega events.

About 8000 athletes across the world will take part in the Games which will be covered by 2000 media personnel from both electronic and print mediums.

The organising committee is developing 23 competition venues and 26 training venues for 17 disciplines. Many non-competitive venues have also been made including the Games village, the international broadcasting centre (IBC), main press centre (MPC), Games family hotel, etc.

BBC says Ashes, Commonwealth Games and Winter Olympics should be free-to-air

The Ashes, the Commonwealth Games and the Winter Olympics should be included in the list of events that must be shown on free-to-air television, according to a submission to the department for culture media and sport from the BBC.

An independent report into free-to-air listed events led by broadcaster David Davies was published in November. The BBC's submission is a response to the DCMS's consultation on Davies' proposals, which ends today (19 March).

The BBC agrees with the Davies report that the Ashes join the free-to-air list, citing evidence from 2009 which showed that more people watched the Ashes highlights on Five – 7.3 million – than watched the Sky coverage, (6.2 million).

The report recommended that only the summer Olympic Games remain on the free-to-air list. However, the BBC said the winter games should also remain free-to-air because it was a "pre-eminent international event and delivers a similar level of audience interest as the European Football Championship Finals Tournament".

The BBC also suggested the Commonwealth Games, which were not included in the report, should be added to the free-to-air list because it had a "particular resonance in the UK's nations and can deliver significant value to audiences as England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland compete as separate teams".

A spokesman from the DCMS confirmed it had received more than 100 submissions on the issue of free-to-air sporting events, 18 of which were from major organisations, and that ministers would decide the next step after examining all the evidence.

The BBC's recommendations are broadly in line with its initial submission on the issue of free to air sports events, which was submitted to the first consultation in July 2009.

The Davies report suggested the following events be protected for free to air coverage:

* The Summer Olympic Games (currently both summer and winter)
* FIFA World Cup Finals Tournament
* UEFA European Football Championship Finals Tournament
* The Grand National
* The FA Cup Final in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (previously across UK)
* The Scottish FA Cup (in Scotland only)
* Home and away qualification matches in the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championships (listed in the Home Nation to which they relate)
* The entire All-England Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship (currently the finals)
* The Open Golf Championship (currently only secondary coverage)
* Cricket’s home Ashes Test matches (Cricket Test Matched in England currently receive secondary protection)
* The Rugby Union World Cup Tournament (previously the final)
* Wales matches in the Six Nations Rugby Championship in Wales (previously Six Nations Rugby Tournament matches Involving home countries had secondary protection)

The events to leave the free-to-air list were The Derby and the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final

'Let's make Delhi the Asian capital of sports'

Delhi should focus on being the Asian capital of sports and work towards bidding for the Olympic Games, V.K. Verma, director general of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, said Friday.

"The security has been unhitched until now and the infrastructure development has been going full swing, all in preparation for the Commonwealth Games. But we have to ensure that the same is being maintained even after the games so that we can hope to win the bid for the Olympic games after this," Verma said on the concluding day of the two-day Delhi Tourism conclave.

"A sports culture has to be inculcated here. The trigger has been the Commonwealth Games, but let's maintain it. Let's make Delhi the Asian capital for sports," he added.

Saying that the onus now lies on every Delhiite to get the "return on investment" that the Commonwealth Games have been, Verma said: "During the Beijing Olympics, the head of the tourism department said 'the world has given us 16 days, we will give them 5,000 years', meaning that the event would be so spectacular that it will be indelible from one's memory.

"We have got 12 days (Commonwealth Games are between Oct 3-14) and without sounding too boisterous, let's say that in the next 20 years we will be at the pinnacle of all other must-visit places in the world." he said.