Kalmadi takes 'blame' for CWG mess; stadia lockdown almost complete (Night Lead)
New Delhi, Sep 25: After days of dithering, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi Saturday took the "blame" for the mess surrounding the Oct 3-14 event. In one more positive step, the police said the security lockdown of the Games venues was almost complete.
Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell, however, blew hot and cold, saying the controversies around the Games had dented India's image but that "we all have to share the blame". He also said the Games would see the full participation of all 71 nations and territories.
The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) partly echoed Fennell as it attacked the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and the Games Organizing Committee (OC) for bringing disrepute to the country due to poor preparations.
The Prime Minister's office (PMO) too stepped in once again, denying reports that Manmohan Singh had pulled up the Group of Ministers (GOM) in charge of the Commonwealth Games for the delays and the shoddy work regarding the event. A statement issued by the PMO said: "Such reports are misleading".
In another development Saturday, the government announced that the capital's airspace would be closed between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on the opening and closing days of the Games but routine commercial flights would not be affected.
On his part, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma criticised nations like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and England for finger-pointing at the manner in which India was handling the Commonwealth Games, the country's biggest sporting event since the 1982 Asiad, and warned that they may have to pay a price in terms of business opportunities in the emerging economy.
Addressing a packed media conference at the swanky Main Press Centre of the Commonwealth Games, Kalmadi said: "The role of the Organising Committee is the conduct of the Games. I am not involved in the construction. Construction is not my responsibility. Yes, monitoring is my responsibility. As OC chairman, we take all the blame on us. But venues were handed to us late."
When prodded by the foreign media, Kalmadi shot back that not everything was hunky dory at previous Games like in Manchester in 2002.
Referring to the Games village, which on Tuesday had been described as "filthy and unlivable", a beleaguered Kalmadi, with Michael Fennell and CGF CEO Michael Hooper sitting alongside, said: "There were some problems with some of the towers and the cleaning up is being done. We are trying our best. You talk to me after the Games."
Asked why work at the Village had lagged behind, Kalmadi said: "I don't think the OC is responsible for it. The last 18 towers were handed to us just three days back and we have been working on these Games for the last few years. I wish all the venues were handed over to me earlier. We would have done a better work."
Speaking about the security lockdown, a Delhi Police officer said: "The roads leading to Games venues and Village have been barricaded."
He added that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) had been put in place to keep an eye from the sky on the venues and to guard against any airborne attack.
Four-tier security now envelopes the venues and the Games Village. Only those with authorised passes will be allowed into the restricted areas.
Around 85,000 policemen in uniform and plain clothes, and 20,000 paramilitary commandos will be deployed in and around the Games stadia.
Addressing the same press conference as Kalmadi, Fennell said "damage" has been done to India's image and hoped that lessons have been "learnt" from the controversies surrounding the preparations.
"A lot of damage has been done to India. People are asking: 'Should we come to India?' India is the largest Commonwealth country. At the end of all this, India would have learnt a lesson. And we have also learnt our lessons working with a country like India," Fennell maintained.
"We all have to share the blame. We will work together to see that everything falls in place. Yes, we all have had problems. We will be overcoming these problems. On hindsight, a number of these things could have been avoided. We have to take necessary corrective measures."
Fennell also said he was happy with the efforts put in the last couple of days and hoped that India will be able to pull it off. "Considerable progress has been made since the prime minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to look into it."
"But there are concerns which remain, mainly related to cleanliness," he said.
Pointing to concerns expressed by the chefs de mission, he outlined that a series of works including transport, security arrangements, fire safety and technological problems like Wi-Fi connections still remained to be resolved.
Fennell lauded the food arrangements and the international centre at the Village.
The statement issued by the PMO said: "The prime minister has seen reports in a section of the media that he 'pulled up' the Group of Ministers in charge of the Commonwealth Games. Such reports are misleading."
The prime minister "appreciates the difficult job the GOM has on its hands". "He has been encouraging the ministers and officers concerned to work together extra time to make the Games a success," the statement added.
Minister Anand Sharma told the media in Ottawa after meeting his Canadian counterpart Peter Van Loan: "It would be a mistake not to engage with India with respect. When it comes to business, whose loss would it be?"
Slamming the foreign media for "running a campaign" against India over its handling of the Games, the minister said: "Dated and frozen images, exaggeration, trying to run down a country is not acceptable to us."
A visibly angry Sharma said India is an emerging economic power as well as the largest democracy in the world and the Commonwealth.
Hitting out at the international athletes who have pulled out of the Games citing health and security reasons, Sharma said: "Maybe either they are not confident of winning the medals or they will lose out."
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37 atheletes and officials arrive for CWG
New Delhi, Sep 25: Thirty-seven athletes and team officials from 11 nations and territories arrived here Saturday for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games.
The largest contingent to arrive was a 23-member delegation from Trinidad and Tobago, including athletes and officials for aquatics, archery, boxing, gymnastics and squash, as well as a team doctor.
Three more team officials from England and Cameroon team official Desire Vincent Tsanga Adzigui were among the arrivals.
Five chefs de mission - Shelley Burich (Samoa), Tuelo Serufho (Botswana), Elizabeth Renay Petersen (Namibia), France Simon Lespoir (Seychelles) and Mohammed Beade Sahnoon (Ghana) - as well as Samoa team official Tagifano Taosoga and Botswana team general manager Game Gynnith were among those who arrived Saturday.
The others to arrive were Isle of Man double trap shooter Timothy James Kneale, Guyana's full bore shooter Mahendra Persaud and Trinidad and Tobago's squash player Colin Ramasra.
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CWG Village will be ready in a few days: Diplomats assured
New Delhi, Sep 25: Commonwealth diplomats were assured Saturday that accommodation for players will be ready in a couple of days, with some of the smaller countries complaining that the facilities in the Games Village were still not up to the mark.
The Organising Committee (OC) for the Games opened the Village to the diplomats of the participating nations Saturday, after days of media criticism about the shoddy status of the residential zone.
Players have started moving into the athletes' Village and their number shifting in will increase over the weekend. Most of the players who have moved into the Village had first checked into hotels after arriving in Delhi.
A South Asian diplomat said that while the external structure of the buildings was ready, there was still a lot of work left in the interiors in some of the towers. "The flats had been left uncared for and neglected, so there is a lot of cleaning up to be done," he said.
The diplomat said that the training centre, dining hall and food and beverage service were "fine". "But, there was a serious lack of dustbins in the Village, so people were throwing the trash on the sides," he said.
According to the envoy, who has visited athletes' Villages in other countries, the Organising Committee seems to suffer from the twin problems of "lack of coordination and lack of experience".
"If they deploy enough manpower at the Village, then the issues can be smoothened out within one or two days. But, they are still not allotting enough manpower as we had been promised for each tower," he said.
Another diplomat said that the African countries were rather resentful that their residential towers were still not clean and ready, as in the case of some other countries.
"Suresh Kalmadi (OC chairman), who was there during the visit, assured that there will be no favouritism in getting the facilities ready for different nations," he said.
The athletes from most of the African countries will start reaching Delhi in batches next week.
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Delhi's hop-on, hop-off bus service from Monday
New Delhi, Sep 25: Come Monday, Delhi will get the much-awaited hop-on, hop-off bus service for the tourists coming for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games mega sporting event.
The bus service will be launched on the International Tourism Day Sep 27 by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
To be popularly called 'HoHo', the bus service will have elaborate routes and will help tourists roam around the city. It will ply on elaborate routes divided in three sectors based on availability of historical monuments, markets and eateries.
The bus service will also have a tourist guide to inform the travellers about the various famous places on the route.
The prime minister had stressed that it was up to the New Zealand Olympic Committee to decide whether or not to send a team.
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India shouldn't have got the Commonwealth Games: Australia
Sydney, Sep 24: India "shouldn't have been awarded the (Commonwealth) Games", Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said Friday.
"In hindsight, no, they shouldn't have been awarded the Games," AAP quoted Coates as saying.
"The problem is the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is under-resourced. It doesn't have the ability to monitor the progress of cities in the way the Olympic Committee does."
The Commonwealth Games Federation has a staff of just five with which it has to monitor India's preparations. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), on the other hand, employs more than 400 employees.
The official said the IOC has contracts with London (2012) and Rio de Janeiro (2016) to meet deadlines regarding Games preparations.
He added: "If that had been the case here (in Delhi), then certainly something would have been done a lot sooner because obviously the venues are not ready."
The run up to the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi Oct 3-14 has been dogged by construction delays and lack of preparedness.
While dismissing the fact that protracted monsoon season in Delhi could have added to the delays, he said: "You can't ever cut any slack when your focus should be on the best conditions for the athletes."
Coates said that he wouldn't recommend any team to stay home.
"I'm certainly not going to be drawn into making a commentary on whether Australia and other countries should pull out from this part of the world," he said.
Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 countries and territories are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India's biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games it hosted in New Delhi.
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'WBTDC acts as catalyst to promote tourism'
Kolkata, Sep 24: The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) Friday said its intention is not to monopolise tourism activities in the state but to act as a catalyst for private investors.
"The intention of the Tourism Development Corporation is not to monopolise tourism but to act as a catalyst for private investors," T.V.N. Rao, the WBTDC managing director, said Friday at a press meet here.
On Sep 27, Tourism Day, the ministry has decided to start a package tour by bus for tourists waiting at the airport for their connecting flights.
"For the last four years, we have tried to promote tourism in the state by trying to organise trips for tourists across the city in a launch," state Tourism Minister Manabendra Mukherjee said.
The cruise has been started by K.B.S. Tours and Travels in collaboration with WBTDC to motivate tourists towards the beauty of the Ganges.
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Indians in Uganda promise to reward CWG meddalists
Kampala, Sep 23: The Indian community in Uganda has promised to reward Ugandan athletes who win medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
"We shall give cash rewards to the best performers because they need to be motivated," said Sanjiv Patel, a member of the Indian community, during the team's send-off Wednesday night.
The Indian community has helped raise about $93,000 to facilitate the Ugandan team's preparation for the Games, scheduled to begin in the Indian capital Oct 3.
"The Games will be held in our country (India) for the first time and we thought as Indians based in Uganda, we must help the Ugandan team," Patel was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Uganda's Education and Sports Minister Namirembe Bitamazire wished the team members well and prayed that they win "as many medals as possible".
The Ugandan team consists of 65 athletes and 18 officials. They would take part in badminton, rugby, squash, tennis, table tennis, swimming and athletics.
Everything will be ready on time: Kalmadi (Lead)
New Delhi, Sep 23: Amid concerns of safety and hygiene expressed by some participating nations, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi said Thursday that he has not received any letter of withdrawal from any country and also declared that all the 71 chefs de mission are now happier than ever before.
"I have not received any letter from any member country. We had a meeting with all the chefs de mission in the morning and they are now happy," said Kalmadi.
Asked why he was lying low for the last three or four days, Kalmadi said: "I can't be coming out to answer the media everyday. I have to do other work as well. After today's meeting, all the chefs de mission are happier than ever before. I again asured everybody that everything will be ready on time."
"From today, everything is going to be fine. I know how to take criticism in my stride. I can assure you that we will have a good Games and we will take care of everybody and they will have a good time," he assured.
On the reportedly "filthy" living conditions at the Games Village and overall lack of preparedness that had prompted some of the participating nations to delay sending their contingents, Kalmadi said: "Eighteen blocks were handed to us much before and the remaining 18 were handed to us few days back. The problem was with the last 18. A lot of people are working there now and the Village will be ready by tonight."
"All of them (international delegates) said that this is a great Village when they went to the international zone, dining zone and the kitchen. Everybody said they were out of the world, including (Commonwealth Games Federation CEO) Mr. Mike Hooper. I assure all the participating nations that it would be a great Games," he maintained.
Kalmadi also said that he will meet CGF president Mike Fennell, who also arrived in the city Thursday afternoon and will brief the Jamaican official on the progress of the Games. Fennell had given a 24-hour deadline Tuesday to clean up the Games Village.
Kalmadi said that he is helpless if one or two foreign athletes decide to pull out because of security concerns.
"There are two-three pullouts. But security is well in place but if some people have their own perceptions, I can't do anything about it. All the buses from Village to venues would be escorted by police and full security would be in place. Whatever their doubts, we have cleared them. Teams will start arriving tomorrow. We are in a much happier position now," he said.
Now Jats threaten Commonwealth Games (Lead)
Chandigarh, Sep 23: The Commonwealth Games starting Oct 3 now faces a new threat: Jats from Haryana.
Upset that the Haryana government is not promising them quotas in jobs and educational institutions, a Jat leader Thursday threatened to block Delhi's borders Oct 3 when the Games begin.
The Jats are seeking reservation in government jobs and educational institutions and also a status as other backward class (OBC).
"So far we have not got any satisfactory reply from the Haryana government. We have decided to intensify our peaceful campaign. We will seal Delhi's borders Oct 3," Yash Pal Malik, president of the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti, said here.
Malik said they can also march towards Delhi.
On Sep 13 and 14, Hisar district in Haryana saw widespread violence by Jats over the same demand.
"We will not allow any commodity of daily use to reach Delhi. Only then the central government will start paying heed to our demands. From today, we have started 'guerilla action' under which we will suddenly stop any train and block any road without prior intimation," stated Malik.
He added: "On Sep 27, when the Queen's Baton Relay enters Haryana, we will show black flags. But we will make sure that nobody indulges in any violence."
India launches integrated weather forecasting system
New Delhi, Sep 23: India Thursday launched an integrated forecasting and communication system for making accurate meteorological predictions that will place the country at par with the best technologies available anywhere in the world.
The Rs.10 billion ($220 million) system has been set up under the guidance of Meteo France International, which works with Met France for weather predictions.
"It is an important day for the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) as the system will bring India in the forefront of weather forecasting," said Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan.
Explaining the working of the system, Chavan said: "The data from various observatories, sensors, doppler radars and automatic weather stations will be collected. These will be run in various computer models and weather experts will come out with forecasts."
The system will provide weather predictions of location-specific areas in a customised manner.
"Sitting here (Delhi) we can pick up data from any radar spread across the country and make weather forecasts for any part of the country," said IMD Director General A.K. Tyagi.
Tyagi said the hi-tech system will be a value addition for the aviation sector, agro-met services, disaster management and other services provided by IMD.
"It's a big achievement for the IMD as we have been able to put in place the most hi-tech weather forecasting system in just two years," he said.
CWG mess saddens Indian athletes
New Delhi, Sep 23: The negative publicity of the Commonwealth Games has pained some of the top Indian athletes, who are now keeping their fingers crossed for the successful hosting of the Games beginning here Oct 3.
M.C.Mary Kom, who recently won her fifth world women's boxing title and is also one of the brand ambassadors of the Games, said she is extremely sad with the recent developments.
"I am very sad. India has been insulted by the criticism of the Games Village," Mary Kom told IANS.
"The unusual rains in Delhi have slowed the progress of work. I hope everything is ready by Oct 3 otherwise it will be a big emabarrassment for our country. I am not participating because women's boxing does not feature in Commonwealth Games, but I am keeping my fingers crossed."
India's top squash player Saurav Ghoshal feels India had a great opportunity to show to the world that it can host a multi-disciplinary sporting event and hopes the last minutes glitches will be taken care of.
"I have been tracking the developments in the capital. It was really sad to see the (pedestrian) bridge (at the Jawahralal Nehru Stadium) coming down (Tuesday). The image of our country has taken a beating. The organisers are trying to plug the holes. I hope they finish everything on time," World No 26 Ghoshal told IANS.
Asked whether the controversy will affect the performance of athletes, Ghoshal said: "We are professionals at the end of the day. Though it is upsetting to see all this happening but it does not affect us as athletes. It is a very important event for us, we are eager to give our best in front of the home crowd."
The Games Organisers invited unremitting negative publicity after being levelled with corruption charges and the venues missing several deadlines.
Newly crowned world wrestling champion Sushil Kumar, who is also a Games brand ambassador, said there should be a crackdown on people involved in corruption.
"We got all the support from the government. So, I have nothing to complain on that front. But it is sad to see such negativity when the Games are just 10 days away. In my view, severe punishment should be handed out to people involved in any wrongdoing," Sushil maintained.
Meanwhile, ace shooter Ronjan Sodhi, who won gold in the men's double trap in Turkey, seemed optimistic about India hosting a successful Commonwealth Games.
"There are problems with the Village but the stadiums are fantastic. I have seen the shooting range myself, it is right up there among the best in the world. The small problems should be sorted out by the time the Games kick off. I am sure we will be able to pull it off," Sodhi said.
British media mock India for Games disaster (Lead)
London, Sep 23: From raising issues of child labour to pointing to the "agonisingly inefficient infrastructure", the British media Thursday launched a scathing attack on the poor preparedness for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) that will begin in New Delhi Oct 3.
The upcoming Games was given prominent display in all the major newspapers here, with some using photographs to illustrate their point.
The Telegraph's story "Commonwealth Games 2010: England team's trip on a knife edge" not only reflected the gripping tension on whether the England team could withdraw from the Games over the state of the athletes' village and sporting arenas, it also criticised the use of child labour to finish the pending work at the venues.
The daily's website mischievously used an AP photograph that showed a group of poor labourers straining to pull a cart overloaded with bricks and sacks with "XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi" emblazoned in the background.
It said safety fears intensified when a section of the ceiling on a weightlifting arena fell to the ground. On Tuesday, a pedestrian footbridge collapsed, injuring 27 workers.
Child labourers were photographed putting up seats in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main Games venue.
"The use of child labour has been a steady concern throughout the project. Many work alongside their labourer parents who are paid as little as 3 pounds per day. The photographer who captured children at work had his accreditation rescinded yesterday (Wednesday) and a camera wiped by officials," the report said.
The Independent questioned "Why India is a bit player in the world of sport".
The report pointed out that the Delhi Commonwealth Games "have seen the deaths of numerous construction workers, a massive uprooting of the capital's poor and, following allegations of corruption, the Indian Prime Minister stepping in to appoint officials to supervise the project".
It said that though $6 billion was being spent, delegates have condemned the athletes' village as "filthy, unhygienic and unfit for human habitation".
The problems the Games have revealed are more than the usual Indian contradictions. "One of the favourite Indian expressions is 'Juldi, juldi' (hurry, hurry). The only problem is the stifling bureaucracy and the agonisingly inefficient infrastructure. The result is that cries of 'Juldi, juldi' rise like a cloud of vapour while the actual pace of the journey matches the legendary Indian bullock cart."
The Independent article ended by saying: "The most galling thing for the Indians is the contrast this provides with China, which used the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a giant coming-out party, proving that it could beat the West at its own sports. The tragedy for India is that, whatever happens in Delhi over the next few weeks, the world will conclude that this is another area where India cannot match its Asian rival."
The Daily Mail declared: "24 hours to save the Commonwealth Games: Clegg warns time is running out after Delhi stadium ceiling falls in".
It quoted Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as saying: "Time is running short. It's for athletes to decide themselves whether they want to attend or not, but I do hope we give the organisers the chance to sort themselves out so we give the games the chance to be the success they always wanted it to be."
A photograph accompanying the article showed a sound barrier being put up just outside the Commonwealth Games village. Its caption stated: "The methods used would probably not get past UK health and safety officers".
The Guardian reported that with the Games "at risk of descending into farce, thousands of athletes from the major competing nations remained in the dark about whether or not they would be boarding a plane to compete".
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CWG preparation: Indians in New Zealand appalled
Auckland, Sep 22: Indians settled in New Zealand say they are appalled at the lack of preparedness for the Commonwealth Games to begin in New Delhi Oct 3. An Indian Association official Wednesday said: "I realise it is an embarrassment, but I feel the organisers should have been aware of these things much earlier".
Indian Association president Paul Singh Bains told New Zealand Press Association (NZPA) Wednesday that it was a shame New Delhi was not yet ready to host the Games that begin Oct 3.
"It is appalling that the (organising) committee is so ill-prepared for the Games and the shocking state of the Games venue where athletes are supposed to stay is something that committee should have been prepared for.
"India had years to prepare for the Games and yet waited until the last minute to get things going," Bains was quoted as saying.
Bains said that the Games should go ahead and New Zealand athletes should attend it, New Zealand Herald reported.
"It is entirely in the Indians' hands and we hope they have it under control. I realise it is an embarrassment, but I feel the organisers of the Games should have been aware of these things much earlier.
"It is a shocking state of affairs, it makes a laughing stock of everyone. The committee should have been more responsible beforehand. It is letting the country and everybody down."
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key Wednesday said that he would support any athlete who decides not to participate in the Commonwealth Games.
The prime minister said that it was up to the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) to decide whether or not to send a team.
"I would love to see the Games go ahead, but if they are to go ahead, from New Zealand's perspective, the conditions have to be safe and sound for our people," stuff.co.nz quoted Key as saying.
Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 countries and territories are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India's biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games it hosted in New Delhi
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England's star trio pull out of Commonwealth Games
London, Sep 22: The Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi from Oct 3, has suffered another blow after three of England's high profile athletes - Phillips Idowu, Christine Ohuruogu and Lisa Dobriskey - withdrew citing security and injury concerns.
British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that Idowu's agent Ricky Simms had earlier insisted that no official decision had been made, but the 31-year-old Idowu used his Twitter account to say: "Sorry people, but I have children to think about. My safety is more important to them than a medal."
When pressed on the decision by a follower who said they were "disappointed", Idowu, a triple jumper, responded: "Which is why I apologised."
"I understand people will be disappointed that I will not be competing. I am disappointed. If you know me as an athlete you will know these games mean alot (sic) to me. It's the champs in which I won my 1st medal.
"And four years ago won my 1st gold, which kicked off the success I have in my career to date.
"All the press today about bridges collapsing and 23+ people being hurt, floods and unhabitable (sic) living conditions, getting my daughter ready for school this morning and seeing all of that put me off. I can't afford to risk my safety in the slightest," Idowu wrote on the social networking site.
Ohuruogu, the Olympic 400 metres champion, and world 1,500m silver medallist Dobriskey, both of whom won their first international gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne four years ago, cited injury problems.
"I had already picked up my team kit and was getting ready to go to the preparation camp in Doha. Instead, I will have a short break now and resume winter training in October to get ready for the 2011 season," Ohuruogu was quoted as saying by the daily.
Dobriskey, who had hoped to double up in the 800 and 1,500m, was insistent that her withdrawal had nothing to do with the adverse reports emerging from New Delhi about the Commonwealth Games.
Dobriskey said her decision to pull out was because of an upper ligament injury picked up in Zurich a month ago when she had to swerve sharply to avoid a final-bend pile-up.
"I love multi-sport events and have never been bothered by the other issues surrounding the Games," she said. "I would love to have had the chance to defend my title and have been looking forward to it since the Europeans."
Australia's women's world discus champion, Dani Samuels, pulled out of the Games after admitting that she was terrified about the security threat.
"At the end of the day, this is sport," she said. "It's not worth risking your life."
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False ceiling in Nehru Stadium complex collapses, no injuries (Lead)
New Delhi, Sep 22: A portion of a false ceiling at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main venue of the Commonwealth Games, collapsed here Wednesday, a day after a foot overbridge near the stadium came crashing down. No one was injured.
Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandreshekhar told television channels that the collapse was not an issue to be "worried about".
"The cables which were to be set up for the data network were placed on the false ceiling and due to the weight of the cables the ceiling fell off. It's a minor thing and it will be corrected. It's not a matter to be worried about," Chandreshekhar told CNN-IBN channel.
The Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the agency which renovated the stadium, said
tiles came down as maintenance work was being carried out. The weightlifting event is scheduled to be held at the newly-built hall where the ceiling fell.
"Maintenance work was being carried in the false ceiling and two tiles have fallen. It is just a matter of time we will get it right. We have to take the scaffold to a certain height and tighten it. Nobody was injured," Rajendra Kala of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), told reporters.
Sahdev Yadav, secretary general of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, added: "The false sealing has not fallen down. We were facing some problems in the AC duct in the false ceiling and that's the reason we were carrying out the repair work in the roof."
The incident comes just a day after an under-construction foot overbridge collapsed near the stadium, injuring 27 labourers. Though there were no injuries Tuesday, the mishap adds to the huge embarrassment the Games Organising Committee has been facing in the run up to the Games, only 11 days away.
Several foreign contingents have complained about the state of the Games village, with some labelling conditions as "filthy and unlivable".
Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 countries and territories are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India's biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games.
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Every effort will be made to ensure successful CWG: Congress (Lead)
New Delhi, Sep 22: Admitting that the nation's pride was at stake following complaints about preparations for the Commonwealth Games (CWG), the Congress Wednesday said that every effort would be made to ensure that the event is successful.
Party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said there was no doubt that the "civil society and political class were deeply concerned" about the preparations for the Games.
"The nation's pride, prestige are at stake. Every possible sinew will be strained to ensure that we come out with flying colours in this test of India's ability to hold the event," he said.
Singhvi said that smallest lacuna will be plugged and called upon the media not to pre-judge and damn the Games.
He said that responsibility would be fixed for lapses but the immediate task was to conduct the Games in a befitting manner.
"I think there are problems. Blame has to be fixed and it will not be forgotten. The need of the hour is to tighten our belts and show that outstanding Games are held. Every limb of the government is working towards this... I have no doubt that every stakeholder is moving in the right direction," Singhvi said.
A portion of a false ceiling at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main venue of the Commonwealth Games, collapsed Wednesday, a day after a foot overbridge near the stadium came crashing down.
Though there were no injuries Wednesday, the mishap adds to the huge embarrassment the Games Organising Committee has been facing in the run up to the Games, only 11 days away. The collapse of foot overbridge Tuesday injured 27 labourers.
Several foreign contingents have complained about the state of the Games village, with some labelling conditions as "filthy and unlivable".
Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 countries and territories are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India's biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games.
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CWG: Air quality monitoring system launched
New Delhi, Sep 22: India Wednesday launched the air quality monitoring system for the Commonwealth Games. The system will provide real time pollution data at 11 key locations in the city during the mega-event.
Developed by scientists at the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the System of Air Pollution Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) was launched at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here by Shailesh Nayak, secretary in the ministry of earth sciences.
SAFAR will provide information on air quality on an hourly basis and forecast pollution levels 24 hours in advance through wireless colour digital display panels located at 11 key points near the Games venues and the Games Village.
The IITM has also prepared an emission inventory for the Games to provide accurate air quality information.
The inventory has been prepared using data - number of vehicles, industries, shanties, hotels and restaurants and other sources - collected from near Games venues and the Games Village after a two-month long exercise.
Some 7,000 athletes and officials from 71 countries and territories are expected to participate in the Games, India's biggest sporting event since the 1982 Asian Games.
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Yamuna swells, flood threat increases in Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 22: The water level of the Yamuna river continued to rise at Delhi Wednesday as more water from the Hathinikund barrage in Haryana reached the capital, aggravating the threat of flood here.
Wednesday morning the river was flowing at 206.92 metres -- 2.09 metres above the danger mark -- as over one lakh cusecs of water were released from the Hathinikund barrage located in Haryana.
According to the department of irrigation and flood control, the water level is expected to touch 207.3 metres Thursday morning.
A key, over a century-old bridge over the Yamuna linking the capital with its eastern district and western Uttar Pradesh was closed to traffic Tuesday as the river water crossed the danger mark.
This necessitated diversion of traffic to other roads and the National Highway 24 that runs from Delhi to Aligarh and Moradabad in western Uttar Pradesh, causing traffic jams.
Several low-lying areas of Delhi like New Usmanpur, Sarita Vihar, Kalindi Kunj, Jamia Nagar and Wazirabad were flooded Tuesday and people were shifted to temporary shelter camps.
Over two dozen trains from and to the Old Delhi Railway Station were diverted to other routes as services across the Old Railway Bridge -- a double-decker road-cum-rail iron girder structure built in 1868 -- were suspended.
The release of water from the Hathinikund barrage upstream in Haryana has swollen the Yamuna and it is flowing much above the danger level of 204.83 metres in Delhi.
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