Will see credentials before giving Rs 100 cr for CWG: Mamata

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the Railways would first see the ''credentials'' of the Commonwealth Games oganisers and then release the Rs 100 crore sponsorship money.

Replying to the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Appropriation (Railways) No 4 Bill, 2010, the Minister said because of the budget, the provision had to be made.

She said the Railways had committed the money
as they were the lead partners of the Commonwealth Games.

''We are committed...we are the lead partners of the Commonwealth Games...we will see the credentials first.

But because of the budget, we will have to keep the provision,'' Ms Banerjee said in her reply.

The Railways, which have committed Rs 100 crore for the CWG sponsorship, witheld the amount after the alleged financial scam in the CWG broke out. They said they would give the money only if it directly goes to the CWG and not through any mediator.

Games sponsorship money was not compulsory, says Deshmukh

A day after asking PSUs to hold back the sponsorship money for Commonwealth Games, Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Friday said spending money for the sporting event was not compulsory for the public sector units. "Sponsorship was not compulsory, it was voluntary. It was left to the PSUs and
they should take their decision," Deshmukh said today.

While most of the corporate houses have shied away from the Games, the latest directives to the PSUs could be a severe jolt to the crisis-ridden Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games.

"Earlier we have appealed to PSUs for sponsorship but now after these controversy surfacing, I have asked them to hold on," he said adding "currently there are certain issues regarding corruption being raised. Once things settled down clear... the PSUs can go ahead with sponsorship."

Deshmukh on Thursday said his ministry has asked PSUs to hold back sponsorship money totalling up to Rs 260 crore for the event.

NTPC and PowerGrid have also held back Rs 40 crore sponsorship money out of a combined committed sum of Rs 60 crore for the event, while the Railways, the lead partner of the Games, has also sought clarifications before releasing money.

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said her ministry would ascertain the credentials of the Commonwealth Games expenditure before releasing the sponsorship money.

"This is an important issue. Rupees 100 crore was promised in the Railway Budget. But we have not yet worked out the modalities of how the funds should be given for CWG," Mamata has said in the Lok Sabha.

On Thursday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said those found guilty of corruption in works related to the Games would be punished after the event.

Indian tennis stars demand dues before CWG

More trouble is in the offing for the Commonwealth Games  - this time from India's top tennis players who have reportedly demanded their dues to be cleared before confirming their participation for the high-profile Games to be held in New Delhi from October 3 to 14.

It has been reliably learned that top Indian tennis players, including Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna have signed a letter demanding the payment of pending dues.

The players claim the dues, dating back to 2008, are yet to be cleared.

The CWG has already been under a scanner due to the corruption allegations against the members of the Organising Committee, along with several incomplete Games' projects.

C'wealth Games organisers vow to clean up act

Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael Fennell criticised the mess around the village on Thursday after a two-day inspection of the venues for the October 3-14 Games in the Indian capital.

“I feel some buildings in the village could have been done better,” Fennell told reporters.

“The international zone of the village, like the dining room and kitchen, is behind time.

“The sanitation has to improve and the hygiene has to be of the highest standards. There is need to address the roads around the village, the landscaping and the cleanliness.”

Lalit Bhanot, secretary-general of the Indian organising committee and chief spokesman, said Fennell’s concerns had been passed on to the relevant authorities looking after the village.

“We are giving priority to ensure the athletes do not face any trouble at the village. It will be a world-class facility when they arrive next month,” Bhanot told AFP.

Fennell, who also inspected all 17 sports venues for the Games, said he was pleased with the progress that had been made, but that there remained a lot of work to do in the next 44 days before the event opens.

“I leave Delhi feeling reassured that the preparations are solid, but I also leave with the knowledge that a tremendous amount still needs to be done,” he said.

“It’s been a long journey over the last six-and-a-half years, but the last lap is the most important part of the journey.”

He said that organisers had been told about concerns over catering and transport for the athletes and officials, but he was confident everything would be in place before the October 3 opening ceremony.

The event, already the most expensive Commonwealth Games in history at around three billion dollars, has been marred by charges of rampant corruption, dubious contracts and poor workmanship.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government has virtually taken over supervision of the preparations, with senior bureaucrats reporting on a daily basis to the cabinet secretariat.

Meanwhile, in a further blow to the beleaguered organisers, the government ordered state-run companies to hold back sponsorship money worth 2.6 billion rupees earmarked for the Games.

“We have already asked public-sector units to hold on to the funds,” heavy industry minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was quoted as saying in the Indian media on Friday.

On Thursday, two major state-run power firms, NTPC and Powergrid, said they will withhold eight million dollars of combined sponsorship and demanded an audit of the four million dollars they had already put into the event.

The Games, India’s biggest sporting festival since the Asian Games in 1982, will feature athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and territories, in 17 disciplines.

Oct 14 is CWG holiday for Haryana's Gurgaon

The Haryana government Friday announced that Oct 14 will be observed as a public holiday in the entire Gurgaon district in view of the closing ceremony of the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG).

Haryana Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati said the state government has decided to observe Oct 14 as a public holiday in all its public offices, including educational institutions, boards and corporations, situated within the limits of Gurgaon district, on account of the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Games, the biggest sporting event to be held in India so far, are being held in New Delhi Oct 3-14 this year.

Queen's Baton Relay to reach Kochi on August 29

Queen's Baton for the Commonwealth Games will reach here on August 29.

The Kochi leg of the relay will start from the synthetic track at the Maharaja's College, and will be carried by 81 people, including a galaxy of olympians and other celebrities during the rest of the day, Dr M Beena, Ernakulam district collector, told mediapersons here.

The open vehicle carrying the baton that will set off from Maharaja's College will pass through the naval base, Jewish Synagogue, St Francis Church before reaching the Bolghatty Palace.

The relay would culminate at Regional Sports Centre here on the same day, she said.

Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton in Port Blair

The Queen's Baton relay for the XIX Commonwealth Games was held here from National Memorial Cellular Jail.
The Lt governor of Andaman and Nicobar Island Lt Gen (Retd) Bhopinder Singh started it by running some distance carrying the Queen's Baton and then handing it over to the chief secretary, Vivek Rae for forward journey of the Baton by eminent personalities and sports persons to various parts of the town culminating at Netaji Stadium yesterday.

Earlier, the president, A&N State Olympic Association, G Bhaskar received the Queen's baton from the additional director general, organising committee, XIX Commonwealth Games, Lt Gen (Retd) Raj Kadian and handed over the Queen's Baton to the Lt governor for starting the relay.

The member of Parliament, BP Ray, senior officers of the civil administration and defence forces, prominent sports persons and citizens of the Islands were also present on the occasion.