Kalmadi, Gill assure no need to press panic button (Roundup)

NEW DELHI/PUNE - With incessant rains causing havoc with the final leg of preparations for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and sports minister M.S. Gill Thursday insisted there was no need to press the panic button, even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to visit the Games Village Tuesday to take stock of the situation.

The prime minister’s visit to the Village — with the Games barely 21 days away — comes in the wake of apprehensions expressed over its readiness as the first contingent of officials and athletes from 71 participating teams is expected to arrive Sep 16.

A government source told IANS the prime minister is reviewing the entire Games preparedness at a high-powered meeting Friday.

The source pointed out that though the village will be officially opened Sep 21, it is expected to be fully operational Sep 16, two days after the prime minister’s visit.

This is the prime minister’s second visit to a Commonwealth Games site. He had earlier inspected the facilities at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies and track and field events, on Aug 29.

Kalmadi said the preparations for the final phase are in full swing.

“There are no issues before us. Everything is being done in proper manner,” Kalmadi said in Pune during the arrival of the Queen’s Baton relay there.

On the charges of corruption that have been levelled against the Games organising committee, Kalmadi said he is ready for any probe and is accountable for the Rs.1,600 crore the CGOC has taken as loan from the government.

“I am ready for any probe, any judicial probe. I am only accountable for the Rs.1,600 crore the organising committee has taken on loan and not the Rs.40,000 crore spent on infrastructure and other projects. We have got a good broadcast deal. The Games will be even shown in America for the first time,” Kalmadi said.

Gill said he met the prime minister in the morning and discussed the Games preparations at length.

Gill said they are hoping there will be clear skies when the Games start.

“The month of August was unusually wet. The normal monsoons are likely to be there by Sep 20. It has rained in this month as well. But we expect the weather to be fine by Oct 3,” said Gill, after the launch of the song on Shera, the official mascot of the Games, in New Delhi.

“There was a Cabinet meeting in the morning on the Commonwealth Games. I had detailed discussion with the Prime Minister. The position is that Nehru Stadium is ready. The aerostat balloon is ready. I also went to the swimming pool complex. The scoreboards have been placed. The work is complete there as well. The Indian swimmers will start practising there from tomorrow. The Yamuna Sports Complex owned by the Delhi Development Authority is also near completion.”

“I also had a discussion with the Prime Minister on the arrangements made for the 12,000-plus athletes who will stay at the Games Village. Ten people have been specially assigned to oversee the preparations. The work will be done before the athletes arrive.”

CGOC secretary general Lalit Bhanot said all venues are ready.

“International bodies (concerned) have certified that all venues are fit to host events,” Bhanot said in an interaction with reporters.

“Though there was some delay in the completion of some venues, every stadium is completely ready now,” he stated.

Chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent Bhubaneswar Kalita said that chefs-de-mission of all the participating teams are impressed with the venues.

“I too have been regularly visiting the venues,” he added.

To a query about the reported flood threat following the release of 600,000 cusecs of water in the Yamuna from a barrage in Haryana Wednesday, Kalita said that all necessary steps have been taken in this regard.

“We have been in touch with government agencies. Everybody is on alert and all necessary steps have been taken,” he stated.