Delhi CWG lick's dust

Nksagar - Sagar Media New Delhi -CWG

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 14 August 2010 Saturday gave overriding powers to a committee headed by Cabinet Secretary, bringing into its ambit the Organising Committee that has been tainted by corruption charges

No toilets around Commonwealth Games venues? With severe delays plaguing streetscaping works around CWG venues, authorities are now facing this embarrassing prospect.The city Government had given contract to four firms to install street furnitures like toilets, kiosks, information boards, iron chairs and benches on a BOT (build, operate, transfer) basis in areas around the Games venues.However, the companies are yet to start the work as the streetscaping projects are yet to be completed around most of the venues.

The Government had, in fact, planned to install street furniture in all the areas across Delhi where streets caping has been carried out but due to time constraints the plan was shelved and instead it was decided to put up the facilities around the venues.Reports PTI

With incessant rain gives water clogging in Delhi an outstretch of poor drainage plus lack of facilities of rainwater harvesting may keep the Delhi dynamics of CWG game in utterly shabby state inspite of government making its gala efforts.
Mismanagement of building infra for the CWG games and taking its lightly correlating with a marriage event spiraling cost dearly to the nation pride added stigma on the system in which the nation runs. Initial budget for hosting the Games were inflated to `345 crore, but with ants creeping budgets has now swelled to Ruppes `85,000 crore, compelling all to ask games rational and its decision to go for such huge investment with no returns in future leading it to inflated infructuous expenses.

Dr Singh directed that thorough probe should be held by the ministries concerned into complaints of "procedural and other irregularities" and "those found guilty should face severe and exemplary punishment".He instructed that all pending works should be completed expeditiously in a time-bound manner and decided to visit select venues of the Games in the last week of this month.

Dr Singh reviewed preparations for the October event at a meeting with Union Ministers concerned, Delhi Lt Governor Tejender Khanna, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Organising Committee (OC) Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar and Home Secretary G K Pillai against the backdrop of intense controversies surrounding the conduct of the event.
"The Committee of Secretaries will continue to review implementation and it will have the status of an Empowered Committee. It will have jurisdiction over matters relating to the Organising Committee," said a PMO statement after the 90-minute meeting.

The decision to bring OC in the ambit of Committee of Secretaties is significant as questions have been raised over functioning of the Organising Committee and charges of corruption against its top brass, including Kalmadi."A Secretary-level officer of the Cabinet Secretariat will liaise with the Organising Committee on a daily basis," the statement said.The Cabinet Secretary was also directed to liaise closely with the Group of Ministers, which is already in place, to ensure "effective coordination" among all the authorities concerned.Kalmadi said the controversies surrounding the CWG Organising Committee had demoralized officials who were not even ready to sign papers, the sources said.
Kalmadi and some other top officials of the OC have been mired in allegations of corruption and other irregularities, prompting the Prime Minister to step in and review the preparedness for the event starting on October 3.

The GoM, headed by Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy, was empowered to take all decisions necessary for the smooth conduct of the Games and refer any matter that may require further consideration to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for a final decision.The GoM was directed to meet immediately and frequently thereafter, the PMO statement said.

"All the facilities must meet international standards," the Prime Minister underlined and expressed confidence that the ongoing preparations supervised directly the GoM would enable the Games to be conducted smoothly and in a befitting manner.The Cabinet will be briefed on the state of preparations on a weekly basis.

The Organising Committee would take appropriate steps urgently to conclude all pending preparations. The Senior Management Committee would meet daily and be chaired by the CEO in the absence of the Chairman or Vice-Chairman, Organising Committee.Additional senior and experienced officers from the central government would be deputed as required.

Dr Singh asked all concerned to work single-mindedly so that the Games could be held in a manner the nation could be justifiably proud of.In the wake of charges of corruption and other wrongdoings, Dr Singh directed the Ministries concerned to conduct "thorough investigations into all the complaints that have been received of procedural and other irregularities."

Noting that the eyes of the world were on India with regard to the Games, he said that in the run up to the event, it was important to gain public confidence by instilling order and carrying out effective supervision of the preparation works.

The public has a right to know the facts and the GoM will ensure that timely and authentic information on the status of preparations and in particular on the remaining tasks at hand is released to the public.The promotional campaign of the various events should be stepped up to generate enthusiasm among sports-lovers in the largest sporting event the country has held in many years.

Union Minister Kapil Sibal has said that all works related to the mega sporting event will be completed in time. Sibal said that the entire infrastructure will be in place within the six weeks left for the Games."Will you not wait for six weeks to pass judgement. Let's not degenerate India. Let's not destroy India's credibility," Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal told.
"Perhaps the stadiums you will see, will be the better than any stadium in the world," he claimed.There are certain Games-related issues which could have been addressed earlier, Sibal said, on the allegations of corruption will be looked into.
Fiscal scams tumbling out from CWG every day criticism of CWG has reached its crescendo -Soli J. Sorabjee write in one daily newspapers column In the interest of the nation, in the interest of the Games and in his own interest Kalmadi should temporarily step down without any admission of guilt. If he is exonerated, he can return as a hero. I am sure Times Now will be the first to do him the honour. Former Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar "I am delighted in a way because rains are causing difficulties for the Commonwealth Games. Basically, I will be very unhappy,"

Delhi finance minister A K Walia, a member of the Commonwealth games Co-ordination Committee expressed fears about the Games that he was not sure if all stadia would be ready by the August 15 deadline.Mr Walia visited the Yamuna Sports Complex in East Delhi ng, venue will host archery and table tennis events. “The way the work is going on, I have doubts over some of the Games venues but I hope that they will be ready in time,” Mr Walia said. Waterlogging was reported from Yamuna Sports Complex last week after heavy rains lashed the capital.

Contact Information:
Sagar Media



Contact Person:
Nksagar