Delhi will not see the baton relay

The Queen's Baton, which is travelling in grand processions in cities and towns across the country, will stay off the Capital's roads. The Group of Ministers (GoM) overseeing the Commonwealth Games preparations on Friday decided to keep the Queen's Baton off Delhi roads to minimise inconvenience
to the general public.

"Since a procession would involve blocking the road for a significant period of time, we thought it might be too much for the people to bear," a government source said.

The Queen's Baton Relay 2010 Delhi, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held ahead of the Games. It symbolises peace, harmony and brotherhood through sports.

The official said the ministerial panel decided to receive the Baton at the Delhi-Gurgaon border at a grand function

and take it to the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee headquarters for public display.

Similarly, the Queen's Baton would — over the next few days — be taken to iconic locations such as Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Raj Ghat and the Parliament. Cultural events would be organised on a limited scale.

All rooms won't be ready before games

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has admitted that it will be able to deliver only half the rooms that it had promised in Vasant Kunj where Games delegates are to be accommodated.  At Friday's meeting of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on Commonwealth Games, DDA officials said that of the 3,179 upcoming flats in Vasant Kunj, they would be able to deliver just 1,600 of the promised rooms before the Games.

"The DDA has said by September 10 they will be able to provide just 1,600 rooms where the Games technical

officials will be accommodated," said Sindhushree Khullar, secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.  

An embarrassing situation considering that the delegates will start arriving in the Capital from September 15 onwards.

The EGoM also decided that testing of equipment at all Commonwealth Games venues will begin on September 1.

"We have directed all agencies involved in the preparation of the Commonwealth Games to hand over the venues to the Organizing Committee by August 31," said Khullar.

The developmetn authority was tasked to convert 3,179 of its upcoming flats in Vasant Kunj, a upscale locality in south-west Delhi, and Jasola in south Delhi to service apartments after it became clear last year that the 33 hotel sites that it auctioned won't be ready in time for the games.

Besides Union Urban Development minister S. Jaipal Reddy, the EGoM was attended by the Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit, Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna, Union Sports minister M S Gill, Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar among others.

Planning goes down the drain

The R 30,000-crore makeover Delhi is getting for the Commonwealth Games includes everything — flyovers, underpasses, subways, bus stations and even waterless toilets. But it lacks one crucial element: the veins of the city — its drainage system. The long-forgotten drainage system is now  crumbling. And along with it are the roads.

Old drainage system

A major part of the drainage system was constructed four decades back. Though cosmetic changes were made, nothing substantial has been done yet.

In areas such as North Delhi and the Walled City, the drain network is very old and needs to be fixed immediately. Many areas are not even linked to the drainage system.

In 2006, the Municipal Corporation of Dehli (MCD) proposed to hire private consultants to restructure the system but the plan never took off. The civic agency now claims it is taking the help of all other agencies to prepare a comprehensive drainage plan.

"The existing drains can't handle the pressure. There is a need to make a master plan for drainage too. However, all agencies need to co-ordinate to make it a success," said Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney.

Construction waste

The frenzied construction work is choking the storm-water drains. "The construction agencies leave the debris at the site and it enters the drains whenever it rains. All our efforts to clean the drains go futile," said a senior official.

The civic agency had identified 168 designated sites where construction waste could be dumped. But that has not helped as they are all located near footpaths and main roads and end up blocking traffic.

People to be blamed

People are covering rainwater outlets beside footpaths to create parking space.

Also, civic agencies constructing new footpaths have forgotten to create openings, obstructing the flow of water.

"The entire Hans Raj Gupta Marg in Greater Kailash-I has no outlets along the footpath. In such a situation, waterlogging is bound to take place," said Rajiv Kakaria, a resident of Greater Kailash I.

"Drains are designed to carry only of 0.5 cusecs of water per acre but the amount carried by them is almost double now," said a senior NDMC official.

Delhi dampener on cards for Commonwealth Games

The sporting event which India hoped would herald its emergence as a regional power and serve as a springboard to an Olympic bid has instead turned into a chaotic mess.

Less than seven weeks before New Delhi is to host to the Commonwealth Games, venues are still under construction, top officials have been forced out in scandal, costs have soared and many are questioning the wisdom of spending so much money on an event in a nation riddled with social ills.

To make matters worse, many top athletes, including Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter, pulled out and even England’s Queen Elizabeth II has said she will not come to the Games, which brings together 71 countries of the Commonwealth, or the former British Empire.

After China showcased its economic clout during an impressive Beijing Olympics, India’s Commonwealth Games organisers were under pressure to deliver a comparable spectacle to promote “India Rising”.

Instead, the bungling of the preparations for the Games has highlighted corruption and malaise that continues to plague the nation, said Harsh V Pant, a political analyst. “When it comes to implementation, I don’t think India has moved an inch from where we used to be,” he said.

Hoping to stem the cascade of problems, Manmohan Singh, the prime minister, stepped in last weekend, ordering a probe and appointing a group of cabinet ministers to oversee the final preparations and try to salvage the event.

The move came as criticism of the Games, to be held in New Delhi from October 3 to 14, reached fever pitch, with everything from traffic jams to mosquito breeding blamed on preparations.

The Times of India showed Shera, the Games’ cartoon tiger mascot, on a respirator, and a former sports minister publicly hoped the Games would collapse in disarray so India would not be tempted to bid for future events.

Sheila Dikshit, Delhi’s chief minister, called the broadsides “unpatriotic”. “I plead with people to look at the better side of the Games – the rest will fall into place,” she told The Sunday Express.

But the problems are hard to ignore. Venues that were supposed to be completed last year to allow for test events, are still in what officials promise is the final phase of construction.

The Shivaji stadium in central Delhi, which is to be used as a practice field for hockey teams, has been stripped down, its facade left with gaping holes as hundreds of workers navigated large piles of red bricks, gray concrete blocks and rusting reinforcing rods.

A four-kilometre road-bridge connecting the athletes’ village to the main stadium has gaps in it. “We have to accept where we are and look forward,” Mike Hooper, the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, who is in New Delhi helping oversee the preparations, said. “Everyone’s got a lot of work to do, and that’s what they’ve got to focus on.”

Much of central Delhi remains torn up by projects that had been intended to beautify the city for the 100,000 foreign tourists the Games committee had anticipated. Many of the projects are so far behind schedule they are being covered up, to be worked on again after the event. And there are doubts the tourists are even coming.

The cost of hosting the Games – which the government initially pegged at less than $100 million (Dh367m) in 2003 – has skyrocketed, with estimates ranging from $3 billion to more than $10 billion.

Meanwhile, ticket sales have been delayed, sponsorships have not met expectations and the official merchandiser has pulled out, saying delays in launching his products were costing him unbearable losses. On Thursday, two power companies announced they were cancelling their multi-million dollar sponsorship deals with the event.

Three top officials were sacked this month over alleged financial irregularities with the London launching of the Queen’s Baton Relay – a month-long odyssey akin to the Olympic torch relay.

As part of a drive to clean up the city ahead of the event, the government demolished thousands of slum homes and arrested homeless people, according to a coalition of human rights groups.

The event has turned into an embarrassment for a country that should be focusing instead on fixing its medical and education system and dealing with the hundreds of millions mired in poverty, said Rajan Singh, 29, a software engineer. “With a developing country like India, we need to invest in other infrastructure,” he said. “Once that is complete, we can go for Games like this.”

Weeks out, India's Commonwealth Games in crisis

An international sporting event which India hoped would herald its emergence as a regional power and serve as a springboard to an Olympic bid is instead struggling with a host of issues as the clock ticks down to opening ceremonies.

Less than seven weeks before New Delhi is to play host to the Commonwealth Games, venues are still under construction, top officials have been forced out in scandal, costs have soared and many are questioning the wisdom of holding the event in a nation riddled with social ills.

To make matters worse, many top athletes have pulled out - Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt decided not to come even before his recent back injury - and even the queen of England has said she won't be coming to the games, which bring together the 71 countries of the Commonwealth, or former British Empire.

With rival China showcasing its economic clout during the Beijing Olympics, India's Commonwealth Games organizers were under pressure to deliver a comparable spectacle to promote "India Rising" - the nation taking its place as a major economic and political force in Asia.

Instead, the bungled preparations for this second-tier sports festival have highlighted the government corruption and malaise that continues to plague the nation, said Harsh V. Pant, a political analyst.

"When it comes to implementation, I don't think India has moved an inch from where we used to be," he said.

Hoping to stem the cascade of problems, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stepped in last weekend, ordering a corruption probe and appointing a group of cabinet ministers to oversee the final preparations and try to salvage the event.

The move came as criticism of the games, to be held in New Delhi from Oct. 3-14, reached a new high, with everything from traffic jams to mosquito breeding blamed on them.

The Times of India newspaper showed Shera, the games' jaunty, cartoon tiger mascot, on a respirator, and a former sports minister publicly said he hoped the event would collapse in disarray so India would not be tempted to bid for future events.

"There has to be a reckoning for all this," The Asian Age newspaper demanded in an editorial.

Delhi's chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, called the broadsides "unpatriotic."

"I plead with people to look at the better side of the games - the rest will fall into place," she told The Sunday Express newspaper.

But the problems are hard to ignore.

Venues that were supposed to be done last year to give organizers time to test them and fix any problems, are still in what officials promise is the final phase of construction, leaving no time to hold serious test events.

Workers are still building the corrugated tin roof at the new weightlifting arena, which partially collapsed after springing a leak during the recent monsoon rains.

The Shivaji stadium in central Delhi, which is to be used as a practice facility for field hockey teams, has been stripped down, its facade left with gaping holes as hundreds of workers navigated large piles of red bricks, gray concrete blocks and rusting reinforcing rods.

A 2.5-mile-long road and bridge connecting the athletes village to the main stadium has gaps in it.

"We have to accept where we are and look forward," said Mike Hooper, the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, who is in New Delhi helping oversee the preparations. "Everyone's got a lot of work to do, and that's what they've got to focus on."

Much of central Delhi remains torn up by projects that had been intended to beautify the city for the 100,000 foreign tourists the games committee had anticipated. Many of the projects are so far behind schedule they are being covered up, to be worked on again after the event.

And there are doubts the tourists are even coming.

Hotels that expected to be sold out have received anemic bookings for the games and regular tourists seem to be deferring travel during what would usually be high season to avoid the spectacle, said Rajindera Kumar, president of Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India.

"The response is so weak," he said. "I'm really fearing for the industry."

The cost of hosting the games - which the government initially pegged at less than $100 million in 2003 - has skyrocketed, with estimates ranging from $3 billion to more than $10 billion.

A recent report by a government watchdog said contractors were charging unreasonable rates, producing shoddy work and fabricating tests to show the quality of their construction was up to the standard.

Meanwhile, sales of tickets have been delayed, sponsorships have not met expectations and official merchandiser Premium Brands pulled out, saying delays in launching its products were causing unbearable losses. On Thursday, two power companies announced they were canceling their multimillion dollar sponsorship deals with the event.

Three top officials were fired this month over alleged financial irregularities with the London launching of the Queen's Baton Relay - a monthslong odyssey akin to the Olympic torch relay. That came a week after the organizing committee's treasurer resigned amid accusations his son's firm was given a contract to help build the tennis courts.

As part of a drive to clean up the city ahead of the event, the government demolished thousands of slum homes and arrested homeless people and beggars, according to a coalition of human rights groups.

At the venue sites, construction workers earned just half the minimum wage, were not given helmets, gloves or other safety gear and worked in conditions so dangerous that 42 of them were killed in accidents, the coalition said.

"Even if the games are a success, even if we are miraculously able to pull out a successful games, the negative social legacy is going to be with us for years to come," said Miloon Kothari, director of the Housing and Land Rights Network, one of the groups in the coalition.

Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress Party, said Thursday that all the allegations would be investigated after the closing ceremonies. In the meantime, she called on Indians to unite behind the games, the biggest sporting event to be held here since the 1982 Asian Games.

"The prestige of the nation is involved," she said.

But the event has turned into an embarrassment for a country that should be focusing instead on fixing its medical and education system and dealing with the hundreds of millions mired in poverty, said Rajan Singh, a 29-year-old software engineer.

"With a developing country like India, we need to invest in other infrastructure," he said. "Once that is complete, we can go for games like this."

Reddy asks Army not to charge facilities provided for Games

The Urban development ministry has sought the assistance of defence minister A K Antony to ensure the Army does not charge the Organising Committee for certain facilities provided by it during the Commonwealth Games.

OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi said the chairman of the Group of Ministers for CWG Jaipal Reddy has written a letter to A K Antony requesting him to ask the Army not to charge for certain facilities it was providing during the Games, scheduled to begin in October.

"... So they have agreed to do somethings free of charge, for some, they will charge," said Kalmadi.

It is learnt that in his letter, Urban development minister Reddy has requested Antony that the Army should not charge the Organising Committee (OC) for allowances for the officers and jawans who are on duty for the sporting event.

Reddy has also sought waiving off charges for Army facilities being used by artists for the Opening Ceremony -- places where they will practice and stay.

When contacted, Reddy, however, said though he had written the letter he did not remember the contents.

"I did write to the Defence Minister not to charge for certain things. Those details I am unable to recall," he said.

Kalmadi said, "We have asked for the support of Army and it has been good enough to lend us support throughout the baton relay, for opening and closing ceremony. They are giving us lot of personnel and we are very happy with it."

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel wins India's home series sponsorship rights

As organizers of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi struggle to hold on to sponsors, the Indian cricket board on Friday announced a new sponsor for its home matches.

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel was awarded the team's home series sponsorship rights for three years.

India cricket board secretary N. Srinivasan said Bharti Airtel won the rights with a bid of 33 million rupees ($700,000) per test, one-day international or Twenty20 match.

The reserve price for the bid was 20 million rupees ($425,000) per match.

The rights were previously owned by sports management firm World Sports Group, which used to sell them on to various corporate sponsors. World Sports Group did not bid this time.

Earlier this year, Bharti Airtel lost its bid for the team sponsorship rights to Sahara India group.

Cricket attracts lucrative sponsorships in India due to a paucity of stars in other disciplines. The Commonwealth Games were seen as an opportunity, but adverse publicity in the run-up to the October event seem to have robbed it of the chance.

The National Thermal Power Corporation and the Power Grid Corporation of India on Thursday backed out of sponsorship commitments of 200 million rupees ($4 million) and 100 million rupees ($2 million) respectively.