First aid kiosks at Metro stations during Games

At least 23 first aid kiosks and a team of medical trainers will be placed at prominent Metro stations in the capital to provide prompt assistance to commuters during the Commonwealth Games in October, an official said Sunday.

"The first aid kiosks will be installed at 23 Metro stations, which are expected to have a higher footfall during the Commonwealth Games. A team of four qualified first aid trainers will be on duty," a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official said.

Besides first aid, other medical facilities such as blood pressure, temperature checkup and general medicines will be provided at the metro stations.

"We are planning to give round-the-clock ambulance services around the metro stations. Ambulances
will be stationed near the metro stations, so they can be easily availed of in cases of emergency," the official added.

About one million commuters use the Metro on weekdays. During the Games, about two million commuters are expected to use the Metro on weekdays.

Railways to run CWG exhibition train

In the build-up to the Commonwealth  Games in the national capital in October, the Indian Railways will run a special exhibition train from June 24.

“The Indian Railways being the main partner of the Commonwealth Games has decided to run the special train to promote the event across India,” said Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The mega sporting event will be held in Delhi Oct 3-14.

“The exhibition train showcasing the history of the Games and various information regarding the event will start its journey from New Delhi station on June 24,” said Banerjee.

Airport link yet to get design approval

Is the rush to meet deadlines before the Commonwealth Games taking a toll on meeting statutory requirements? An RTI reply received from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) gives such an impression. Replying to a query the DMRC has admitted approval from Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) for RHEDA 2000, the high-speed transit system that is being implemented on Airport Line, in the capital is still awaited. If reports are to be believed, roughly 18km of a total of 46km track has already been laid on the Airport Line.

According to the 2009 amendment to the DMRC Act, a green signal from Lucknow RDSO is mandatory for projects. The RDSO acts on behalf of the railway ministry/Central government to take a call on technical and safety aspects of a project.

The DMRC answer came in response to an RTI application filed by Atul Gulati, who had asked a number of questions on the RHEDA 2000 system and the Airport Express Line. Gulati sought copies relating to selection and approval of the Airport Line. He backed this demand with queries on the status of approval from statutory authorities like RDSO.

DMRC claimed "design, construction, commissioning, testing and operation of the systems, including track work, are to be done by the concessionaire and not DMRC" and claimed it had no liability as far as getting approvals from statutory authorities is concerned. While it conceded that approvals for the Airport Line are still "in process", the corporation exempted itself from any responsibility in this regard saying it is the concessionare — in this case Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited — who has to ensure all technical approvals are in place.

Sources in the concessionare said RDSO approval is required during the final commissioning of the Airport Line.

"The final run is in August and by then the RDSO go ahead is expected. Right now they are carrying out tests on tracks and coaches, which is why it is taking time," the source claimed.

Haryana to offer 7,500 hotel rooms for CWG

The Haryana government is set to offer about 7,500 hotel rooms as against its commitment of 6,700 during the Commonwealth Games in New Delhiu, an official said Saturday.

An official spokesperson said: “The Haryana government has delivered more than what was promised. The number of hotel rooms in Haryana is likely to increase up to 7,500 by the time the games commence.”

Around 1 lakh tourists are expected to visit India during Oct 3-14 Games.

Commonwealth Games yet to excite sports marketing firms

The Commonwealth Games (CWG) are only a few months away, but clients of sports marketing agencies do not appear to be queuing to get a slice of the advertising pie.

There are multiple opportunities in terms of sponsorship sales, sponsorship activation, ticketing, corporate hospitality, ceremonies, athlete management, advertising and communications, and new media. However, Hiren Pandit, managing partner of GroupM ESP, says, “None of our clients has shown any interest in the Games so far. Post-Games, there will be some sports celebrity projects, but not on a large scale.”

Indranil Blah, sports head, Kwan, concurs, “The Commonwealth Games have been surrounded by many controversies, including political interference and being over-budget. This has kept companies sitting on the fence.” Blah says his agency has received queries from a mobile handset manufacturer, a mobile operator and an FMCG company to gauge marketing opportunities during the Games. But nothing has been finalised yet. “Once the event draws nearer, companies may seal the deals,” says Blah.

The Games committee is targeting almost Rs 1,600 crore from brands participating in the Games alone. If it is able to exploit new media, like the recent deals by IPL with Youtube (Google), vRock and July Systems, it can expect business well in excess of Rs 2,000 crore, say analysts. Yet, only two companies have confirmed their association with the Games — Coca-Cola, which is the official beverage partner, and Hero Honda. The remaining comprise public sector units like the National Thermal Power Corporation, Air India, Indian Railways and Central Bank of India.

Agencies see more opportunities in corporate marketing accounts than sports celebrity management. “In India, only cricket celebrities sell. Recall, Abhinav Bindra- and Vijender Singh- endorsed marketing assignments...ads went off within six months of the signing,” points out Blah.

Moreover, while corporate marketing deals fetch an agency 10-15 per cent commission of the deal, celebrity management gives them only 5-10 per cent of the signing amount, which is not huge in case of non-cricket celebrities. Agencies also believe the Organising Committee (OC) has not been very active in marketing the Games as it was more occupied with infrastructure issues. A separate division dedicated to marketing opportunities would have helped, they reasoned. IPL, for instance, has a separate team to handle marketing deals.

Another reason is that the sponsor rates are considered exhorbitant considering the return on investment (RoI). The OC, for instance, has categorised sponsors as lead partners who will get sponsorship worth Rs 100 crore each, while partners would get Rs 50 crore worth of sponsorships each.

An executive of an agency, not wishing to be identified, argues, “If you compare the rates with IPL, IPL3 charged Rs 25 crore for ground sponsoring, which is way below the Commonwealth Games rates. Besides, IPL gives great value. In case of the Games, there’s no clarity on exposure it will give to the sponsors.” He adds that the management committee must re-package the deal to increase RoI and attract private companies.

In other countries, companies avail opportunities thrown by such events in large numbers. Rajesh Aggarwal, president, Dentsu India, says, “The recent experience at the Vancouver Games has clearly shown the potential of large format sports events to connect with the population of the host country.”

Noida police train SWAT team for Games security

To ensure foolproof security measures for the guests visiting Gautam Budh Nagar during the upcoming Commonwealth Games, the Noida police have decided to have a Special Weapons And Techniques (SWAT) team in addition to the team of commandos being trained for the October event.

The police chief of the district believes the SWAT team will strengthen the security arrangements during the Games.

Talking to Newsline, Ashok K Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Gautam Budh Nagar, said the SWAT team will be trained at the district police lines.

“We have shortlisted 25 candidates for the SWAT team. The training of those selected to be part of the elite team will be more rigorous than normal commando training,” SSP Singh added.

The police chief said training will be conducted with specialised and high-technology weapons, such as AK -47, Insas rifles, Glock pistols and bullet-proof shields to name a few.

“We are going through a list of the high-tech weapons available with the UP Police. For example, using of bullet shields is an art which has to be learnt through rigorous training,” added Singh.

The training of the selected SWAT commandos will be conducted under the guidance of the Aligarh police SWAT team. It is the only district in UP that has 20 well-trained SWAT commandos, Singh said.

“I had gone to Aligarh to check the level of training the SWAT team there had. I was impressed with their reaction time and use of high-tech weapons,” SSP Singh said.

“Considering the importance of providing adequate security to the international guests and the potential threat to the spectators and players, the team will prove worthy in training our SWAT team members,” the senior police officer said. The Noida police is already training 30 commandos, who are being guided by experts from Manesar training camps.

Regarding the difference between the SWAT and the commando team, SSP Singh said the SWAT team will get more high tech weapons for specialisation.

Traffic police to be at full strength before Games

The Delhi Traffic Police will reach their sanctioned strength of 5,500 personnel before the Commonwealth Games (CWG) slated for October this year.

"We would reach our sanctioned strength of 5,500 personnel before the CWG," Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chadha said.

Currently the traffic police have only 4,417 personnel against its sanctioned strength.

According to Chadha, the help of local police would also be sought in maintaining smooth traffic flow on the dedicated CWG traffic lanes.

About 5,000 volunteers are also to be drafted to assist in maintaining smooth traffic during the Games.