PM inspects JN Stadium work
At a time when all civic agencies in New Delhi are in a race against time to complete Commonwealth Games-related projects, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday visited Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the key venue of the October 3-14 event and the location of both the opening and closing ceremonies, and exhorted all agencies to redouble their efforts and finish the work still remaining. The stadium will also host the athletics, weightlifting and lawn bowl events.
The Prime Minister, who was accompanied by Union sports minister M.S. Gill and top officials of the Games organising committee, stayed at the venue for about 25 minutes and was shown some of the facilities at the recently-remodelled stadium. “The Prime Minister said it was a beautiful stadium, and he urged all concerned authorities to redouble their efforts to quickly complete whatever work remained as the people were expecting a spectacular and flawless opening to the Commonwealth Games,” said a statement released later by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Besides the main field of play, Dr Singh also took a look at other aspects such as the media facilities, royal box, the stands for spectators, as well as security and other arrangements.
While the entire area was cordoned off at least two hours before Dr Singh’s arrival for security reasons, civic agencies had been at work since Saturday night to clear up the debris and other waste material to the maximum extent possible.
“We did not work only on the areas just outside the stadium but also contributed in sprucing it up from inside. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Usually, when a VIP visits any area, there is some sprucing up. As it is, our work around the area is almost complete and a stocktaking will take place on August 31, which is our deadline,” said a senior MCD official.
Officials of the CPWD, which has carried out the remodelling work, said their main work inside the stadium was already complete. What still remains is the work of agencies such as MTNL, TCIL and Prasar Bharti, which have to lay cables for communications and broadcasting facilities.
Union urban development minister S. Jaipal Reddy had earlier conceded that some work still remained due to delays caused by the rains and delays in delivery of equipment being brought in containers from overseas. The earlier deadline of August 31, just two days away, is now likely to be missed by a few days.
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