With India’s reputation as a destination fast sinking, Commonwealth Games organisers were still trying to put an acceptable face with just 12 days to go for the October 3-14 event.
Allegations of corruption have long dogged the organising committee, and with Games getting close, the Commonwealth Games Federation has now strongly criticised the facilities for the athletes at the Games Village.
In a huge embarrassment for the OC, CGF president Mike Fennell claimed that the village on the banks of the Yamuna river, built at the cost of a whopping `1,350 crores, was “filthy and uninhabitable”. Mr Fennell has given the organisers a 24-hour window to get things in order before international delegates start arriving on Thursday.
“The final preparations for the Games Village have been of concern to the CGF since viewing the residential zone along with a number of Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) advance parties on September 15,” Mr Fennell said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Many issues remain unresolved and as such on Monday night I wrote to the Indian Cabinet Secretary, expressing my great concern with the preparedness of the Village.
“Many nations that have already sent their advance parties to set up within the village have made it abundantly clear that, as of the afternoon of September 20, the Games Village is seriously compromised,” he added.
New Zealand chef de mission Dave Currie went on to claim that if the concerns at the Athletes’ Village were not addressed immediately, the only option remaining would be to call off the Games.
The residential towers at the Games Village are the big area of concern. The standards of cleanliness and hygiene have shocked delegates from New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ireland.
“Ever since September 15, we along with CGAs have met on daily basis. We also held meetings with OC officials and emphasised the importance of addressing the issue of cleanliness of the village, which I have to say in many towers are filthy and uninhabitable as stated by Mr Fennell,” CGF CEO Mike Hooper said.
“The southern tower is the major concern as the rooms there are covered in dust, rubble and basic amenities like toilets and showers are not working. In fact, some of the toilets even had excrement lying around,” Mr Hopper added.
The CGF had given OC time till Sunday evening to clear the mess but their inaction prompted Mr Fennell’s strong reaction.
“OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi told me that the Cabinet Secretary was at the village this morning. It shows that he has taken the matter extremely seriously,” the CGF CEO said.
Through the day there were a series of meetings which included Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, Delhi’s lieutenant-governor Tejendra Khanna, Union sports secreatry Sindhushree Khullar, Prime Minister’s principal secretary T.K.A. Nair and Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta at the Games Village.
“We have discussed our plans in detail. Every gap in the system has been identified and will be rectified well in time,” Games Village mayor Dalbir Singh said.