Promises prove hollow as many projects fail to even take offseen

Many Commonwealth Games projects that MCD announced with much fanfare a year back have been scrapped now. These include parking projects, construction of 17 railway underbridges and overbridges and redevelopment of Chandni Chowk. The projects on which work did start are now running behind schedule.

The work on upgrading guesthouses and improving areas like Paharganj and Karol Bagh, construction of toilets and sanitation work are all behind schedule.

According to mayor P R Sawhney: "The facelift in Paharganj, Karol Bagh and Daryaganj was delayed because agencies like MTNL and BSES took time to complete their work. Waterlogging during rain was also a problem.'' Sources say MCD will be able to complete only 40% of the work in Karol Bagh and Daryaganj.

The civic body is also struggling with the streetscaping work at many places apparently quite unnecessary in many areas. For delays in beautification, it blames encroachment on roads. The civic body is spending Rs 40 crore on general streetscaping and another Rs 140 crore on beautifying stretches near the Games venues.

As far as construction of toilets go, only eight of MCD's ambitious toilet-cum-coffee houses will be constructed before the Games. The civic agency wanted to build around 250 such complexes. Also, only 200 of the 1,000 waterless urinals are ready so far. The cost of constructing these toilets is Rs 35 crore.

With many of MCD's project under the CVC scanner due to alleged corruption, the civic body is planning to launch its own vigilance probe. According to the CVC, the bid documents for the streetlight project were tampered with.

Said the mayor: "We will ask our vigilance department to investigate our projects to ensure that there are no instances of corruption.''

As far as sanitation is concerned, MCD is yet to install dustbins despite floating proposals for numerous designs. Moreover, the large underground dustbins which were supposed to replace dhalaos are yet to be procured by the civic agency.

MCD was supposed to construct a total of 46 parking lots conventional and multi-level of which only two or three will be ready before Games. The work on constructing 17 railway underbridges and overbridges is underway across the city but not even one is near completion.

CWG scam: 3 top officials suspended after UK money trail report

Commonwealth Games organizing committee treasurer Anil Khanna was forced to resign from his post on Thursday, the day TOI highlighted the blatant case of conflict of interest in which the contract for laying the artificial tennis turf was given to a company whose distributor in India is headed by his son.

The OC has terminated its contract with Australia-based marketing agency SMAM - which was given the job of bringing in sponsors for the Games - with immediate effect on the ground of "non-performance". Again, it was TOI which highlighted how SMAM was set to get 15-23% commission on money given by PSU sponsors, none of which were brought in by SMAM.

On a day when the OC appeared focussed on fixing blame, if only to lower the heat on chairman Suresh Kalmadi, it suspended his key aide and Games joint director general T S Darbari, whose name has figured in the case involving forged emails and inflated payoffs to the London-based AM Films. The other person whose name has come up in this scam, Sanjay Mahindroo, is no longer with the OC.

Surprisingly, another joint director general M Jeychandren was also suspended. Jeychandren was the treasurer for the Queen's Baton Relay (for which AM Films was paid off). His name has, however, not figured so far in the controversy. Some insiders say he has been made a scapegoat.

The case against Darbari and Jeychandren has been referred to the Enforcement Directorate by the OC, Games spokesman Lalit Bhanot told a crowded press conference. Kalmadi ducked the press meet, though it was said earlier that he would address it.

CWG: Heads roll to save big fish in clean-up ‘act’

The Suresh Kalmadi-led Organising Committee, which has been forced to cleanse the Commonwealth Games stables, on Thursday suspended joint director TS Darbari, former deputy director-general Sanjay Mahendroo, and head of the accounting department M Jeychandran. The executive board also terminated the contract of Melbourne-based Sports Marketing and Management (SMAM) for “non-performance”.
The names of Mr Darbari and Mr Mahendroo had figured in the investigations into the charges of irregularities in the services provided during the Queen’s Baton Relay in London.

These actions came on a day when the government was forced by the Opposition in Parliament to promise speedy investigation into the allegations of corruption. “As far as corruption is concerned, the government will take all actions. I will write to the authorities, including the finance minister, and request him to go seriously into the matter if there is anything... The agencies must speed up action and catch whoever is responsible,” sports minister MS Gill said.

With the Commonwealth Games under cloud and the government earning flak for mismanagement, the minister used the occasion to announce the denial of permission to the Kalmadi-led Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to bid for the 2019 Asian Games. “The IOA had on April 28 this year sought ‘in-principle’ approval to host the 2019 Asian Games. It has projected an operating budget of $401 million for the conduct of the games and likely generation of $450 million. These projections are based on the budget and revenues of the Guangzhou Asian Games 2010 and have little relevance in the context of hosting the games in India in 2019. Accordingly, the present proposal submitted by the IOA does not merit consideration,” the minister said.

But Mr Gill, who was replying to a barrage of questions from the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, ruled out the removal of Mr Kalmadi from the organising committee of CWG. “It is too late for that. You cannot change horses just before the war,” Mr Gill told the House. He also discounted the possibility of any decisive central intervention when he said the suggestions for a new committee to oversee the Games preparations were not feasible. “These things won’t work,” the minister said and assured that “like a typical Indian wedding, everything will be in place”. The minister also invoked nationalism—“have faith in India”—and the Almighty—“God is with us”—as the Opposition hauled the government over the coals in Parliament.

The Congress leadership, in any case, has been dropping clear hints that the time for juggling with the Games leadership has passed. “The horses have bolted into a distance,” a senior minister told ET while explaining that action against key members who are responsible for the leakage of funds may not be possible at this juncture.

By evening, there was some relief for the organisers when Hero Honda, one of the sponsors of the embattled Games, indicated it will stick with its commitment. PSU sponsors like Indian Railways and NTPC have asked for assurance from the OC that no part of its contribution will go as service charge or commission to any agency. NTPC had pledged a sponsorship donation of Rs 50 crore, but this money may not be paid if the OC doesn’t meet its demand. Apart from Hero Honda and NTPC, the other big cash sponsor for the Games is Central Bank of India. The Games have managed around Rs 400 crore in sponsorship of a target of Rs 960 crore. Of this, only around Rs 100 crore is cash sponsorship and the rest is in the form of either service-related brand endorsements or donations and grants from PSUs.

In another development, RK Mattoo was appointed as the new treasurer of the Organising Committee. Mr Mattoo's appointment follows the resignation of Anil Khanna. Mr Khanna quit as treasurer in wake of allegations that his son's firm secured the contract for laying synthetic courts at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium, one of the venues of the October 3-14 Games.

Few bookings for Games hotel rooms yet

 It was expected to be a deluge, but so far, it’s just a trickle. Hotels in New Delhi which earmarked thousands of rooms for Commonwealth Games visitors are still waiting for the bookings. Delays in preparing Games venues, corruption charges and competitive mudslinging are seen to have taken the sheen out of Incredible India and frustrated the travel and hospitality industry, though Games officials put up a brave face. The 19th Commonwealth Games, an 11-day mega-sporting event, kicks off in the Capital less than two months from now.

Out of 5,500 hotel rooms earmarked by the Games travel office and sold on the CWG website, only 100 have been booked so far. “Bookings have been slow, but we are hopeful that more will start coming now. Most of the negative publicity around the games is in India; not in other countries,” says Sunil Kundu, games travel officer of the Organising Committee. Le Passage to India, the official travel agency refused to comment on the number of bookings.

Hoteliers are not happy either. “We committed rooms to the Organising Committee and reduced tariffs by 25-30% as requested by the government. But bookings have been negligible,” says Vijai Pande, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI). The association is an umbrella body of 1,500 hotels in North India, out of which 50% are located in the National Capital Region. “We developed a new hotel in Delhi for the Commonwealth Games; but looking at the current scenario, we wonder if it was the right business move,” said a hotelier on the condition of anonymity.

The initial buzz about Commonwealth Games attracting a deluge of sports and travel enthusiasts to the Capital has waned. Says Sharat Dhall, MD, Tripadvisor, a popular travel community site: “Bookings have not met projections. A mix of factors has worked against the travel sentiment. There are security concerns and some star athletes have pulled out. Besides, there is so much negative publicity regarding delays in completion of stadia and infrastructure projects. Many have been led to believe that the Games will not be spectacular after all.”

FE checked with some of the hotels which can be booked on the CWG travel website, which confirmed that not a single booking was made at any of them till now.

Claridges Surajkund, for instance, has committed 100 rooms but has not received any guest confirmation. Room rate does not seem to be a factor, as the trend of nil or negligible bookings is not restricted to the star category. A small budget hotel group with two properties – Sunstar Residency and Sunstar Heritage, located in the not-so-upmarket Karol Bagh area– and charging one-fourth of what Claridges does, has not received any Games-related bookings either.

“There are no bookings so far, but we are hopeful,” said the general manager of Sunstar Hotels.

Until recently, government officials and industry analysts were worried about the possibility of room shortage during the Games. Hospitality industry players from the private sector stepped into bridge the gap, and the ministry of tourism announced a Bed & Breakfast policy to increase room supply. According to industry estimates, around 12,300 hotel rooms have come up in Delhi and NCR in the run-up to the Games. “So much investment has gone into adding inventory. Several projects were floated keeping Commonwealth Games in mind. So, it’s all the more sad not to get substantial bookings,” said Pande of HRANI.

According to the tourism ministry, Delhi and NCR will have more than 40,000 rooms across hotels, guest houses and B&B outfits, enough to accommodate one lakh tourists expected during the Games. Whether they will turn up in the expected numbers will decide if the hospitality industry was wise enough to sink large investments into adding capacity to welcome the Games visitors.

Since 2009, 38 labourers died doing Games work

Senior officials in the Delhi government today revealed that 38 labourers working at different Commonwealth Games related projects have died during the construction process, while two were seriously injured.

Officials were, however, quick to point out that of the 38 who died, only one labourer was working on a project undertaken by the Public Works Department which falls under the direct purview of the Delhi government.

“All other deaths have taken place at construction sites under the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation,” said a government official. The 38 deaths took place from January 2009 till the present date.

Officials further added since there is a due process in place, compensation for all the deaths as well as the injuries has already been paid and there are no “pending complaints or cases”.

“The contractors pay the compensation amount and this is overseen by the compensation commissioners posted in nine districts across the city. Since criminal negligence is involved in the matter, and an FIR is registered, the contractors have duly and quickly expedited the process so there is no pending complaint,” said Delhi Labour Commissioner R K Srivastava.

Labourers who die in such work-related accidents are paid anything between Rs 2-5 lakh, depending on their age — a younger workman receives more compensation than old labourers.

Queen's Baton reaches Jharkhand

 The Queen's Baton Relay for the upcoming Commonwealth Games was given royal reception after it reached the Jharkhand border from West Bengal in Maithon on Wednesday aftrenoon. 

Jharkhand Olympic Association (JOA) general secretary Syed Matloob Hashmi received the baton from P N Mukherjee president of West Bengal Olympic Association, about 50 km away from Dhanbad.

With God on his side; Gill promises successful Games

Notwithstanding the huge controversy surrounding the rampant corruption in the Commonwealth Games 2010, Sports Minister MS Gill appeared confident of successfully holding the mega event.

In his reply to the Rajya Sabha Thursday, Gill did not risk a direct reply on the corruption charges, instead he apperead to be dodging an array of questions put up by the legislators.

He skillfully refused to set up an independent probe into the corruption allegations, while promising to punish of all those “found” guilty.

"Have faith in India. India will get there," Gill told opposition members led by Prakash Javdekar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Brinda Karat of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) who raised the issue of delays and corrupt deals related to the CWG.

“If officials are found guilty, remove them,” Gill said. He opined that an independent probe into the allegations at this this juncture would be detrimental to the objective of holding a successful Delhi games as they just around the corner.

On being given details of all the allegations, he said, “There is a long procedure into the sanctioning of any expenditure for the event and it has been done with consent from all the concerned departments like the Finance Ministry and the Home Ministry.”

He also ruled out any bid for Asiad 2019 saying that the government did not have the proper documentation in the time frame given.

When he was pressed to give assurance that the Delhi Games would be a success and the venues would be completed in time, he left everything to the almighty saying, “God is with me, I will do what is needed for a successful Games.”