By IANS,
New Delhi : The excitement was palpable but there was chaos and confusion too at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium on the opening day of the Commonwealth Games Sunday with hapless spectators and confused mediapersons asking around for directions and volunteers proving to be of little help.
A foreign media journalist along with his photographer, who were looking for the right entry for mediapersons, said better informed volunteers or banners giving proper directions would have made access easier.
“We had more or less smooth entry through gate number two where media was let through but after that it has taken us almost an hour to reach the media section. All the volunteers who we asked couldn’t give us the right direction and finally a press operations person helped us,” the journalist said.
There were four other mediapersons with him.
The situation was similar at the metro station near the stadium. The violet line of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which has the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium as one of its stations, was inaugurated Sunday.
Holding opening ceremony passes in their hand and wearing a confused look, spectators boarding the new line of the Metro were met with confused Metro helpers as well.
“I am actually from Bangalore and have been called to help during the Games. So I am not very sure about the places in Delhi and which place is close to which station,” said one helper when a spectator wanted to know how to reach her home from the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.
The opening ceremony of the fortnight long Games is expected to begin at 7 p.m. Sunday and will be a two-hour event.