India pushing hard to ready CWG infrastructure in time: Gill

New Delhi, Nov 25: India is “pushing the hardest” to ensure that the infrastructure for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is ready in time, Sports Minister M S Gill said on Wednesday as MPs across the spectrum expressed concern in the Rajya Sabha over the country’s preparedness to host the event.

“We are here in a situation where we are pushing the hardest to see that the infrastructure is ready in time to enable the staging of test events (before the October 3-14, 2010 Games),” Gill said while responding to a calling attention motion in the house.

“It is now a question of coming out with dignity and honour. Today the country, the people, the prime minister, everyone is clear; please get it ready in time,” the minister maintained. “This is something that concerns me all the time,” he said, adding that a group of ministers under Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy meets once a week to monitor the progress in constructing the stadium and other infrastructure.

'C'wealth games could be the most humiliating experience'

The Opposition on Wednesday slammed the Government in the Rajya Sabha over the delays in preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games with Samajwadi member Jaya Bachchan voicing fears that the event will be the "most humilating experience" for the country.

Sports Minister MS Gill on his part sought to allay the fears of the opposition on the State of preparedness and assured that infrastructure for the showpiece event here would be ready in time.

Raising the issue during Calling Attention Motion in the Upper House, the opposition also attacked the Government over the recent controversy between the Organizing Committee(OC) and Commonwealth Games Federation(CGF).

Actor-turned Samajwadi party MP Jaya Bachchan said, "We are here to laugh at ourselves...To make a mockery of the whole show. It is going to be the most humiliating experience for the country." She also asked Gill to accept the ground realities regarding the state of preparedness.

Pointing to the "ugly conflict" between the OC and CGF organizations, Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House Arun Jaitley said the Government should ensure that a situation of "less of sports and more of a conflict, which is a clash of personalities" does not emerge at the time of the games. The games are due to be held in October next.

He said it was a legitimate concern whether the infrastructure needed for the games will be completed in time.

Jaitley said there was no plausible reason why the work for the stadium construction began in 2008 when games were allotted to the country in 2003 itself.

Gill however said, "the stadia will be completed in time....Work is progress at a rapid pace." http://www.dailypioneer.com

CWG would be a success, Gill assures Rajya Sabha

TAFF WRITER 14:48 HRS IST

New Delhi, Nov 25 (PTI) Responding to a calling attention motion on next year's Commonwealth Games, Sports Minister M S Gill today assured the Rajya Sabha that all preparations for the multi-discipline event would be completed well in time to ensure that the country hosts it successfully.

The motion regarding the preparation for the Games scheduled in Delhi from October 3 to 14 was tabled by Kalraj Mishra, Mahendra Mohan and O T Lepcha.

"In the overall scheme for the preparation for the Commonwealth Games, the sports infrastructure is to be developed by government agencies, and funded directly by the Government," Gill told the House in is response.

"The responsibility for the Conduct and Delivery of the Games is of the Organising Committee. For this purpose, the OC is funded upfront by the Government as a loan, to be recouped on the basis of revenue neutrality.

CWG infrastructure, stadia to be ready in time: Gill

STAFF WRITER 12:56 HRS IST

New Delhi, Nov 25 (PTI) Allaying fears of delay in preparation for the Commonwealth Games 2010, Government today assured Rajya Sabha that all state-of-the-art stadia and infrastructure will be completed in time and security steps taken to ensure that the mega event is incident-free.

"The stadia will be completed in time. The Government is investing substantial amounts for upgradation of various stadia to be used for the games. These stadia will become state-of-the-of international standart venues ard," Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports M S Gill said.

In a statement on the Calling Attention on the preparation for Commonwealth Games, he said that the financial sanctions for all the stadia, estimated to cost around Rs 4,100 crore, have been accorded and "work is progress at a rapid pace".

Glasgow's miles cleaner

It can't shock many that the budget for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is on the way north, by £81 million.

Big ticket budgets in the public sector have a nasty habit of slipping, and by a long way.

The question for Glasgow, as for the London Olympics, is what the legacy will be after the athletes have gone home.

The plan is for a regenerated area of each city's east end, just as Manchester benefited.

That's why the athletes' village in Glasgow is being planned with a view to transforming it into permanent use as a new housing estate.

The designer specification is for flats and houses that can suit both purposes. And I'm told that the main difference between an athlete's needs and those of the average Glaswegian is their bathing requirements.

According to one of those at the heart of the plan, the village will have an unusually high number of showers in each new home.

Further comment, from me at least, is probably unwise. source: http://www.bbc.co.uk

Rs 1,620 crore for CWG

NEW DELHI, Nov 5: Hit by delays and escalating cost of infrastructure, the 2010 Commonwealth Games received a massive budgetary boost on Thursday with the central government allocating Rs 1620 crore as loan to the organising committee of the event. “The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for providing a revised budget of Rs 1620 crore, as loan to the organising committee Commonwealth Games 2010, at the prevailing government rate of interest, for organising the CWG at Delhi during October 3 to 14. Budget approved earlier was Rs 767 crore,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after the cabinet meeting. Elaborating on the reasons for the budgetary hike, she said rising cost of opening and closing ceremonies, the increase in the number of days for Queen’s Baton Relay — from 136 to 240 days for international leg and from 60 to 100 days for domestic leg — were among the reasons that forced the increased allocation. “Inclusion of new items that are essential for the successful delivery of the Games but were not provided in the initial budget of the OC, namely accreditation, city operations, sponsorship and TV rights, security, sustainability and environment and ticketing,” she said. Cost escalation in respect of accommodation, catering, protocol and CGF relations, Queen's Baton Relay, rent for office of OC, communication, image and look technology, risk management, insurance and technical conduct of sports were also listed as reasons for budgetary hike. (PTI)

2010 Games get Rs 853cr hike and monitor

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Thursday agreed to more than double the dole for Commonwealth Games - from Rs 767 crore to Rs 1,620 crore - but

not before sports minister M S Gill assured colleagues that the government would keep a close watch on how the money was spent by the Organizing Committee led by Suresh Kalmadi.

Gill, who had to fend off colleagues like road transport minister Kamal Nath and others, said a committee of officials would supervise the spending. The Organizing Committee so far had no government representative on it.

The entire assistance is supposed to be a loan which the Organizing Committee has promised to pay back from the proceeds of the mega sports event to be held in the Capital in October next year.

As part of the proposal cleared by the Cabinet, a financial sub-committee comprising the sports secretary, urban development secretary and an additional secretary of the finance ministry will be set up soon. All proposals of high value are to be cleared by the group before being taken to the executive board of the Organizing Committee.

I&B minister Ambika Soni told reporters that organizers hoped to earn Rs 1,708 crore from the event.

At a time when preparations for the mega event have been hit by controversies, delays and escalating cost, the new mechanism will ensure OC's financial accountability to the government which is pumping thousands of crores into the Games. Gill also briefed the Cabinet about the preparations for the Games.

Announcing the decision, I&B minister Soni said the enhancement in budget was to enable the Organizing Committee to meet escalating costs. The sports ministry said rising costs of opening and closing ceremonies, increase in the number of days for Queen's Baton Relay - from 136 to 240 for international leg and from 60 to 100 days for domestic leg - were among the reasons that forced the increased allocation. The relay will now cover all Commonwealth contries.

Inclusion of new items essential for successful delivery of the Games but not provided for in the initial budget of the OC, namely accreditation, city operations, sponsorship and TV rights, security, sustainability and environment and ticketing also led to higher costs.

Cost escalation in respect of accommodation, catering, protocol and CGF relations, rent for office of OC, communication, image and look technology, risk management, insurance and technical conduct of sports were also listed as reasons for the budgetary hike.

The Games build-up has been mired in controversies with the Commonwealth Games Federation expressing concern about the pace of preparations. Things took an ugly turn when Kalmadi asked for the transfer of CGF CEO Mike Hooper from Delhi, saying he was an impediment to the preparations.

The matter was resolved during the Queen's Baton Relay last month where Kalmadi and CGF chief Mike Fennell discussed the contentious issues and agreed to bury the hatchet.

Delhi is hosting the 19th Commonwealth Games in 17 sporting disciplines. Competitions will also be held for Elite Athletes with Disability (EAD).

TOI