No payment was made to SMAM: Bhanot

Organising Committee dismissed as exaggerated reports about procurement of treadmills and tissue papers and made it clear that no payment was made to an Australian firm for roping in sponsors.

New Delhi: Facing allegations of dubious deals in various purchases related to the Commonwealth Games,

the Organising Committee on Wednesday dismissed as exaggerated reports about procurement of treadmills and tissue papers and made it clear that no payment was made to an Australian firm for roping in sponsors. Adressing a press conference OC Secretary General Lalit Bhanot disclosed that the Australian company Sports Marketing and Management, which is at the centre of a sponsorship deal controversy, does not have proper papers and hence has not been paid any money yet by the OC. "I want to make it clear that OC has not paid anything to the SMAM. They have not come with proper papers and when they will come, we will see. We will do it whatever agreement provides," he said. Bhanot also said that the OC would not exert pressure on engineers to complete the infrastructure work at venues. "Work will be completed as per deadline," he said. A K Saxena, Joint Director General Overlays and Procurement, refuted the reports in the media that the OC paid exorbitant amount to companies for treadmills to be used during the Games by the athletes. "Treadmill shown in the media was a normal household one. Treadmill with us is of high-end costing USD 60,000. Those were used by athletes in Beijing Olympics. Companies have sent us proposal on July 25. OC is looking into it but we will now purchase the treadmill.” "The treadmills are not coming on rent basis. How many we will procure that we will inform later after getting them. Rates will be furnished later. They will remain with us as Games` legacy. OC is purchasing them on behalf of DDA, Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia. After the Games, they will be distributed among them," said Saxena. Saxena also said that the overlays in various Games` venues were procured through a transparent process. "Overlays procuring process was initiated with the setting up of proper department. Finance sub-committee of OC under the chairmanship of Secretary (Urban Development) on November 20, 2009 decided the procurement process. "Four foreign overlays suppliers -- from France, UK, Singapore and Hong Kong -- were selected after following due procedures. The draft agreement for signing were issued to suppliers on May 18. Companies are giving us on rental basis. We will install them, use them, they will charge us certain amount and after that we will return them," he said. "On rent we will be procuring video boards, giant screens, generators, ACs. All overlays equipments will be of European standard," he added. The overlays include gates, fencing, pedestrian entry points, vehicle check points, tents, security areas, official lounge, furnitures and fixtures, halls as work spaces with partition, press area arrangements, temporary seats in Delhi and barricading. Saxena said that the price of tissue papers quoted by certain sections of media was incorrect. "It`s Rs 3750 for a box of 100 rolls of tissue papers. It`s not Rs 3750 for a single tissue paper," he said. Meanwhile, the under-fire OC also sought to project CGF chief Michael Fennell`s impending visit to India later this month as a pre-planned one and not connected to the raging corruption allegations. "Mike Fennell will come on a regular and scheduled visit. There will be no CGF Coordination Commission meeting. His visit is pre-planned. He will come before or after the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore (August 14-26). He is not coming earlier than that," Lalit Bhanot, OC secretary general and spokesperson, told reporters here. Fennell had expressed serious concerns about the corruption allegations on the Organising Committee, saying that "the image of the Games could not be damaged by corruption charges". PTI