By IANS,
New Delhi: The Congress said Monday that fundamental decisions regarding the Commonwealth Games were taken by the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and figures given by the opposition about expenses on the showpiece event were far in excess of the money actually spent.
“They (the NDA government) had proposed in 2003 to hold the games. The decision to hold it in Delhi was taken by them. They decided the contours of the organising committee,” Congress MP Manish Tewari said while participating in the Lok Sabha debate on the slow preparations for the Oct 3-14 mega event.
He said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government had also given a guarantee that any shortage of finance in the Games preparation will be borne by the government but profit will be shared between the Indian Olympic Association and the Commonwealth Games Federation.
“We are implementing their decisions,” Tiwari said.
Coming to the defence of those involved in the Games preparations, Tewari said 18 of 20 stadiums were ready while the other two will be in order by the middle of this month.
Giving details of the expenditure incurred on the games preparation, Tewari said that the figure of Rs.1 lakh crore being given by some opposition leaders in connection with the Games was incorrect.
He said the government had spent Rs.678 crore on training of Indian athletes who will participate in the Games.
Referring to controversy about the excess payments to a firm in connection with last year’s Queen’s Baton Relay inaugural in London, Tewari said the sum involved was not even 0.7 percent of the organising committee’s budget.
He, however, said that any wrongdoing will be investigated.
The Congress leader said the opposition should not seek to score political points by undermining people. “We will hold a successful Games,” Tiwari said.
The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) is alleged to have paid AM Films, an Indian-owned firm in London, over 450,000 pounds for services during last year’s Queen’s Baton Relay inaugural without proper tendering and paperwork.
Two aides of CGOC chief Suresh Kalmadi were suspended after an enquiry found that an e-mail from the Indian High Commission in London on the basis of which the firm was hired were tampered with.
This apart, CGOC treasurer Anil Khanna quit in the wake of allegations that his son’s firm was unduly favoured in ordering the synthetic turf for the tennis stadium for the Games.
Audit watchdog Comptroller and Auditor General of India has also commented adversely on the cost overruns for the stadia being built or refurbished for the Games.