Less than a month to go and Delhi is still a building site
From Tom Reynolds, Sportsbeat, in Delhi
IT'S now less than a month to go before the Commonwealth Games opens in a predicted blaze of Bollywood glory.
WORK IN PROGRESS: An Indian worker walks past the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, under construction for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in New Delhi and the Athletes village is still under construction as well (Reuters)
The world, or at least that part of the world once controlled by the British Empire, is ready to arrive.
Delhi just isn't ready for their arrival.
Deadline after deadline has slipped while a corruption scandal has further frazzled the frayed nerves of organisers who already look like they could do with a good holiday.
They promised to be ready by March 31st - they weren't. The deadline shifted to June 30, it came and went.
It was then put back to the end of July, the end of the August and now mid-September.
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The world, or at least that part of the world once controlled by the British Empire, is ready to arrive. "Delhi just isn't ready for their arrival." Sportsbeat's Tom Reynolds in Delhi |
Many acknowledge the final deadline for the project is October 3rd - the date of the opening ceremony.
A large number of venues still resemble building sites, new pavements haven't been laid, you need to slalom through potholes to reach your destination.
There are roads that go nowhere and proposed venues that have been abandoned - with the archery finals venue was scrapped just a few days ago because of planning problems.
Organisers say they have now begun the process of 'beautifying' venues - which means masking all the unfinished bits in colourful wraps and then hoping that no-one peaks behind. Bad news here - journalists are nosey by nature.
The athletes village at London 2012 looks more finished than its counterpart in Delhi, which is due to start welcoming athletes in just a few days.
The whole project has cost £1.5 billion, well over budget and predict to rise much further, and was designed to announce India's arrival as an emerging world superpower - as Toyko's Olympics so successfully did in 1964.
But, on this evidence, dreams of staging the Olympic Games in 2020 look unlikely.
Heavy monsoon rains haven't helped either - the athletics track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was recently damaged by floods and needed to be relaid.
I've yet to meet someone really excited about the Games. Most can't wait for the whole thing to finish so they can get back to normal life.
They moan about the cost, remember one in three Indians live below the United Nations poverty line, and talk about escaping the city before the opening ceremony.
One restaurant owner complained he had lost more money due to the disruption caused by never ending building work than he will recoup in the two events of the actual event.
So much for instilling national pride.
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Comments
Can't believe this!
I cannot believe that this happened. Who was organising this?!?!?!
Well i think now the things
Well i think now the things were pretty much fine and i think we better not compare Delhi with London,because both has big difference of infrastructure,population,financial status etc.
Woah
They need to pull their fingers out and get that work finished!
Sexy Toys
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