IITTM launches ‘Earn-while-you-learn’ programme for Commonwealth Games 2010

Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management (IITTM) has launched new series of the ‘Earn-while-you-learn’ programme in order to prepare volunteers for the Commonwealth Games 2010. The programme will be imparted to around 3,000 selected students from colleges and universities from the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby States in batches in the next one year. The commencement of the programme was officially inaugurated by Sujit Banerjee, Secretary – Tourism, Government of India at a function held at the IHM Pusa campus yesterday.

According to Prof Sitikantha Mishra, Director, IITTM, about 870 students will undergo the training programme during this summer in batches. The duration of the course is three weeks with six-hour programme every day. “We also want to utilise the holidays like Durga Puja, Diwali etc

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Commonwealth Games 2010 :Are We Ready To Prove To World, India Is Capable Of Organizing A World Class Event

The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi are just over a year away. The event is not only important for the development of sports
in the country, but also a chance for us to prove to the world that India is capable of successfully organizing a world class event, even in times of global problems like terrorism and the economic gloom.

For the past few months, some sections have been making a hue and cry over the preparations of the Games, which according to them are lagging well behind schedule and may not be complete in time for the mega event. We at Zeenews.com decided to visit the Commonwealth Games Village being readied for the 2010 Games to get a first-hand account of the ground reality.


Our first stop was the Commonwealth Games Village site being constructed near the famous Akshardham Temple in east Delhi. The village is the place where thousands of athletes coming to the capital will have residential facilities in around 1,160 flats. The dining facilities will be arranged in a separately constructed hall. Another site being built nearby will take care of the practice and recreational needs of the visitors.

Entering the village, especially without any prior intimation to the authorities of our visit, was like trying to penetrate into a fortress. There was an unprecedented level of security around the whole complex, not because the threat of a terror strike but as we discovered later, because the authorities were afraid that all the media wanted to do was to tarnish their image and highlight delays and faults in the construction process.

After a lot of convincing that we were not here for what they feared, we were allowed to get in but with strict instructions that photography was not allowed inside (it was for security reasons, is what they told us). First, we decided to head towards the residential complex. Construction was in full swing and by the look of it, the complex should be ready as per plans if there is no further delay due to unavoidable circumstances. Some of the people at the site told us that the construction company in charge was facing some problem due to lack of funds and has sought help from government authorities. However, no official was available at the site for a reaction.

Next we headed for the practice venue where we hoped to meet some DDA (Delhi Development Authority) officials and get some reactions and dates regarding the planned and expected completion of the mammoth project.

We were again stopped at the gate by the security personnel, who were a bit reluctant to let us in, especially after having seen a camera in our hands. However, after another round of arguing and convincing that we had got so used to by now, he finally allowed us in but on condition that we will have to speak to the officials before even trying to look at the construction site. On our way to meeting the officials we decided to have a sneak peek at the construction site and apart from a few workers and trucks; things did not look very encouraging with no visible structures in place.

The practice venue is supposed to have facilities such as an Olympics size swimming pool, an athletics track and a world-class fitness center, apart from other facilities for sports such as weightlifting and wrestling. The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to take place in October 2010 and the completion date for the entire complex has been put at March-April in the same year.

The officials present at the site tried to convince us that the work was on course for completion at the stipulated time and that there will be no compromise with the pre-determined plan. The work, according to them, had started here in July 2008 and that there will be visible structures at the site in another six months, as all the basic work of laying the foundations has been completed. We were told that 1,200 tons of steel had already been used in the construction process. A DDA official, though reluctantly and on condition of anonymity, did admit that the work was a little behind schedule but the admittance was backed by confidence that there was still more than a year left before the completion deadline and that things will be flawless by then.

He then showed us the exact location of the swimming pool site as well as other places where, according to the authorities, the structures will ‘magically’ start to appear in the next few months. The foundations we saw were already in place as he had told us, but there were very few signs that could lead us into believing the rather desolate looking place will actually start appearing like something that the model of the site present at the location looked like.

Final verdict: If you believe the officials, we can be rest assured that the Commonwealth Games will turn out to be a highly successful event and a show of strength by India, but if you believe your eyes, we will need a lot more than just a bit of divine intervention.

Queen's baton for 2010 Commonwealth Games unveiled

On Sunday evening, India Gate will come alive with music, fireworks and flying angels creating a symphony in mid-air. The baton for the Commonwealth relay, the Olympics equivalent of the torch relay, will be showcased for the first time in the capital before it is sent to London.

The baton, designed in Bangalore, will be unveiled by LG Tejinder Khanna in a glittering affair that will also display Commonwealth themes on the India Gate in a fascinating laser and light show. A huge stage, flanked by water screens, will be set up in front of the Amar Javan Jyoti and over 200 artists including 15 artists from UK’s famous Toll Theatre, dressed up as angels, will perform in mid-air and eventually hand over the baton to the Game’s committee members. The troupe will be performing for the first time in the country. The baton relay will start from Buckingham Palace in November this year.

Rajiv Makin, director (commercial and marketing), India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) said: “The show will be open for all. About 120 private security officials other than Delhi Police personnel have been deployed for the function. Apart from performers and the show management, there are about 300 people who are working hard to make the show a success. About 20,000 people are expected to witness the event.”

There will also be folk and classical dance performances by Indian troupes. Ganesh Natyalaya will perform bharatnatyam while the Asavari Repertory will have a kathak performance. A contemporary dance segment will be presented by the Santosh Nair group.

Watching 2010 Commonwealth Games on TV may remain dream for millions

Overzealousness, coupled with short-sightedness on the part of government officials looking after 2010 Commonwealth Games preparations may leave millions of Indian viewers tuning their TV sets for not-yet-available High Definition (HD) format airing of the much-awaited event.
A simple logic that the country has very few such TV sets in the country and since they are manufactured abroad, it is too costly an affair to import them for the Indian middle- class seems to have skipped the consideration of the policy- makers for the historic event.
Apart from that, even the government’s transmission infrastructure completely lacks in supporting HD-enabled broadcast, as most of Doordarshan’s transmitters are analog- based, thus rendering this type of telecast a near- impossibility, according to a senior DD official.
“The cost of these sets are in the range of Rs40,000 to Rs50,000 and they are not currently available in the country. Besides, as of now there is no policy to enable production of HD-enabled TV sets here,” the official said.
The Ministry for Information and Broadcasting has, meanwhile, sought Cabinet’s approval for setting up studios in Chennai and Kolkata, which would produce programmes in the HD format.
“Currently, we have one such studio each in Delhi and Mumbai, which are capable of producing programmes in HD format,“ the official said.
In order to broadcast Commonwealth Games, signals will have to be aired in HD format. “Countries like Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada, where HD format is in use, would be the right holders for the Games.
“HD signals can be converted to standard definition signals for Indian viewers. But the television sets need to be HD format-enabled for receiving these signals,” the official added.
Households with cable and satellite facilities can also receive HD signals through set-top boxes, but HD-enabled TV sets would still be required for clear and sharp images and true to life 3-D pictures, he stressed.
As for the production of such TV sets in India, it can take off in large numbers only if more HD-enabled studios come up in the four metros and the number of programmes produced in HD format increases, which at the moment seems long way off.

Map's Ready For Common Wealth Games 2010,But Not The Roads

In 20 months from now, when the Commonwealth Games begin, a Ring Road bypass is expected to reduce travel time between the Games Village and other sporting venues spread across the Capital. However, construction of the 5.5 km road project is yet to start.

The Ring Road bypass is just one of the much-delayed road infrastructure projects that would ensure that athletes and visitors can smoothly reach the sporting venues, situated in different corners of the city According to a recent report submitted to the Delhi government by the engineering wing of Public Works Department (PWD), the agency constructing most infrastructure projects in the Capital, physical progress on most Games-related projects is poor.

The Barapullah drain elevated road project is just seven per cent complete. The elevated road promises to reduce travel time between the Games Village and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, one of the main sporting venues, from 45 minutes to 12-15 minutes. PWD engineers insist planning of most projects was done well in time and they attribute any delay to a multiplicity of agencies and their delayed approvals. "Delhi Urban Arts Commission had in principle approved our design for the Ring Road bypass project in December 2007. Later, it raised certain objections and we had to carry out the drill again.

Despite the fact that we were losing crucial time, the DUAC did not give us permission and we had to approach the Lieutenant Governor to start construction," said a senior PWD engineer on condition of anonymity "Many issues have delayed the projects related to the Commonwealth Games. Even though PWD wants to expedite the projects, it cannot do so unless there is a unified transport authority or an appellate body where all the concerned agencies come together," said PK Sarkar of School of Planning and Architecture. "Decisions have to be taken at a single platform instead of moving around from agency to agency Only then can all hurdles be cleared," he said.

Indian Tourist Transporters Association demands tax sops to procure new vehicles for the Commonwealth Games in 2010

Indian Tourist Transporters Association (ITTA) has asked the central and state governments to grant tax concessions for the procurement of new vehicles for the Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi. The demand was voiced by Sarab Jit Singh, President, ITTA at the two-day annual conference of the Association in New Delhi last week (September 26 &27). Ambika Soni, Union Minister for Tourism & Culture, who inaugurated the conference, urged the tourist transporters to set benchmarks for the Commonwealth Games. Soni also informed the gathering that the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has asked for separate serial codes called ‘TV’ for tourist vehicles to be identified and also single window tax collection for tourist vehicles from the Ministry of Shipping & Surface Transport. The other delegates present during the conference were A K Walia, Finance Minister, Delhi; Haroon Yusuf, Transport Minister, Delhi; and VK Duggal, Indian Union Home Secretary.

At the conference Singh put forward three important demands for the centre and state governments to consider. He asked for the transporters to be permitted duty-free import of foreign vehicles to be deployed during the Games and also demanded exemption from excise duty and VAT for vehicles purchased in the country. As a third incentive, ITTA asked MoT to consider five per cent interest subsidy on finance borrowed from financial institutions and banks for procurement of new vehicles, similar to MoT’s current assistance to tourism infrastructure development projects in remote areas.

Singh also informed that the tourist transporters required to make an estimated investment of Rs. 700 to 800 crore to procure new fleet of vehicles for the Games. “ITTA’s own estimate is that Commonwealth Games Committee will require minimum of 4,000 vehicles. This includes both Indian and imported vehicles,” stated Singh. He also urged the Games Organising Committee to come out with clear guidelines as to the number of vehicles required so that transporters can start the ground work for the same.

While making huge investment on procuring new fleet, transporters also fear a lull or slow down in the business after the Games. “It must be noted that there has been a lull in demand and business in China after the Olympics, as also in Melbourne after the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In view of the sudden high demand of vehicles for the Games and the expected lull subsequently, we want the centre and the state governments to come forward with necessary assistance to make our investments viable and sustainable in the long run,” Singh concluded.

In View of Commonwealth Games 2010 Haryana Tourism to launch Bed and Breakfast scheme in NCR

Keeping in mind the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2010, Haryana Tourism plans to launch a Bed and Breakfast scheme in the National Capital Region (NCR) on the lines of Delhi. The State Government is in the process of preparing the Enabling Act, which is already being implemented in Delhi.

Keshni Anand Arora, Secretary Tourism, Government of Haryana says, “The Department of Tourism will shortlist the houses and guest houses with better infrastructure and facilities to accommodate the guests under the scheme. It will also help to generate revenue for the department.”