By IANS,
New Delhi : Brushing aside doubts about the preparedness for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, chief organiser Suresh Kalmadi Wednesday asserted that the construction of stadiums and other venues would be completed by March next year and the mega event would be held on time.
“All the stadiums will be ready. Let there be no doubt, the Commonwealth Games are happening on time. We will have the best infrastructure. Most of it will be ready by March,” Kalmadi, an MP and chairman of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, told IANS.
The Games are scheduled from Oct 3 to 14 in 2010.
As the city gears up to host the Games, a parliamentary panel Tuesday stated that the accommodation of a large number of guests during the event would be a major problem as there are not enough hotels.
“The committee is perturbed to note that the countdown to Commonwealth Games has begun but there seems inadequate infrastructure in all sectors such as roads, airport, accommodation, surface transport, entertainment, basic amenities, parking, information centres, security, stadia and supply of power,” the report stated.
“Yes, I know work on accommodation has to be speeded up and it is falling back on this count but I guess the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will step in and help out,” said Kalmadi.
The parliamentary panel headed by CPI-M Rajya Sabha member Sitaram Yechury pointed out that the pace of creation of additional hotel accommodation at 39 hotel sites, auctioned by the DDA since January 2006, is tardy and behind schedule. Of the proposed 39 additional hotels, work is going on only at 19 sites.
“About 30,000 rooms were needed during the Games, but only 1,924 rooms are under the definite category, 2,015 rooms are likely and the 1,990 rooms doubtful.”
According to Kalmadi, the DDA is likely to provide around 5,000 apartments to meet the huge accommodation shortage, a major concern ahead of the mega event.
This will be the largest multi-sport event conducted till date in Delhi and India generally, which has previously hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982.