M.S. Gill promises successful Games
Tags:
India’s sports minister on Thursday sought to allay fears over New Delhi’s preparations for the Commonwealth Games in October, which have been mired in delays and allegations of corruption.
“All venues will be ready by the end of this month,” M.S. Gill told the upper house of Parliament.
“Most of the venues have already hosted test events without glitches. I have had a look at the stadiums, they are ready. Just the finishing work remains to be done,” Mr Gill said.
“The Games are at our doorstep and we have to ensure its success,” he added. The Indian capital has been racing against the clock to finish all its projects for the October 3-14 Games.
With less than two months to go, many parts of the city still resemble a construction site, and monsoon rains have hampered efforts to accelerate the work.
An Indian anti-corruption body last week reported it had found a host of problems with construction work, including the use of poor-quality materials and dubious contracts.
Questions have also been raised about suspect sums being transferred from the organising committee to a British-based firm.
As Mr Gill was speaking in Parliament, the treasurer of the Games organising committee, Anil Khanna, resigned following allegations of kickbacks to a family member over the awarding of a contract related to the Games’ tennis venue.
Mr Khanna is also the secretary of the All India Tennis Association. “We have always acted to curb corruption,” Mr Gill told the Parliament. “If officials are found to be corrupt, they will be removed. We will look into every single charge and the truth shall be brought before the nation.”
The minister rejected Opposition demands to appoint a supervisory group of ministers to oversee the work of all the various agencies involved in the Games organisation.
“It is too late for that. You cannot change your horses just before the war,” he said. Mr Gill also rejected an Indian Olympic Association proposal to bid for the 2019 Asian Games, saying it did not merit consideration.
Post new comment