Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief Suresh Kalmadi on Monday reiterated claims of being fully prepared to deliver the promised infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games 2010 in time.
Kalmadi told reporters that everything was under control and that the country would successfully host the CWG 2010 in Delhi. He was certain of the construction work being done with efficiency and speed.
"Most of the issues have been addressed and I will be happy to take Mr Fennell to the PM and discuss all the issues whatever he has. He should not have any doubt in mind," Kalmadi told reporters.
"I am happy to say that the PM, the government of India, Sports Minister Mr Gill and Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit are all supporting the Games. There should not be any doubt that all the venues will be ready in time. All the infrastructure will be ready in the dates promised, that is in December and February next year," he said.
On the question of "reluctance to recruit experience from overseas" raised by Fennell, Kalmadi said he was for using a "judicious mix" of Indian and foreign professionals.
His reaction came after Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dixit was nervous about delays in the preparation for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, especially after Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennel sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention to put things in order.
“I am satisfied, but nervous,” she told reporters on being asked about the preparations for the CWG 2010.
It was learnt by Zee News that a majority of the work for the mega-event is still pending. The state of the affairs has led to CM Shiela Dixit’s uneasiness even as she tried to downplay the CGF report, saying that it was based on data which was more than a month old, adding that much ground had been covered since then.
According to reports, thirteen out of the total of nineteen projects are not even near the half-way mark and there are serious doubts about India pulling off the event from such a state.
First Published: Monday, September 14, 2009, 17:14