The Commonwealth Games 2010, in New Delhi, to be held from October 3 to 14 in year 2010, is going to be a historical event for the country. Though India had been host to Asian Games in 1951 and 1982, the event in 2010 is something that the country is looking forward to. Despite the euphoria in the air and millions of dollars coming in for investment, there seems to be lethargy in the run up to the games. This article looks at the pace of preparedness and the ground to be covered.

Close on the heels of the Olympics, India is bracing up to host Commonwealth Games in 2010. India will be the third developing country to host the CWG after Jamaica and Malaysia in 1966 and 1998, respectively and will be holding the event for the first time. This is the second time the event is going to be held in Asia after Malaysia in 1998.

Sports

Aquatics, Gymnastics, Archery, Squash, Hockey, Table Tennis, Lawn Bowls, Athletics, Tennis, Shooting, and Wrestling are some of the 17 disciplines planned for the CWG 2010. About 71 nations are expected to send their teams for the event.

The CWG 2010 has already infused considerable enthusiasm among the sports lovers in India, and the Delhi Government and Sports Authorities are both anxious and optimistic about the event’s success.

Logo

Unveiled on January 6, 2008 at an event at India Gate, the logo for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is inspired by the Ashoka Chakra, which symbolizes freedom, power, and unity. Its upward spiralling signifies rise of India as a global power and its transition from tradition to modernity. The colours of the logo symbolize the diverse and vibrant people and culture of India, and each part of the logo symbolizes India welcoming the 71 Commonwealth nations and territories.

Infrastructure Plans

Committed to prevent any environmental degradation caused by the games, India has declared the 2010 Games ‘Green Games’. For this purpose, Delhi is planning the expansion of the Metro network and increase in public bus capabilities. Rainwater harvesting at Metro stations is another step in this regard.

About 1,600 of 2,500 shelters are to be equipped with solar panels to illuminate the shelters. More than 1,000 shelters will have rainwater-harvesting facilities. Besides, a tree-planting campaign is also on. Thyagaraja Sports Complex is under construction to preserve water and energy efficiency.

A new indoor basketball stadium is in the pipeline. That stadium would be world-class with a capacity of 3,000 seats. There would be rooms for players’ stay in that stadium and a well-equipped multi-gym, according to Harish Sharma – Secretary-general for Basketball Federation of India (BIFA).

In the agenda are comfortable and modern buses, solar powered bus-shelters, and wider roads. It is expected that about 1,600 of the total 2,500 shelters are to be illuminated with solar power, and more than 1,000 of them will have water-harvesting facilities.

A dedicated flyover, which will be the longest in Delhi, connecting Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium – the main venue for the CWG 2010 to the Games Village located 5 kilometres away, is amongst the major steps taken by the Delhi Government to improve the infrastructure in the city.

According to Ashok Kumar Walia – the Finance Minister of Delhi Government, the elevated road from Sarai Kale Khan to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will facilitate 10,000 players’ movement from the main venue to the Games Village during the event. The project will benefit in the longer run after the CWG becomes a permanent link between south, central, and Delhi.

After the event, the corridor would be thrown open to the commuters by providing free flow of traffic, easing traffic congestion at Mathura Road, Ring Road at Ashram, and other arterial roads. Consequently, there would be an increase in the average travel speed resulting in reduction of fuel consumption, loss of human hours, and pollution.

Slum free Delhi

People living in slums without basic facilities like sanitation and water give a dismal picture of the city and the country. In an endeavour to beautify the capital city by 2010, with an influx of thousands of foreign tourists, the government wants to make Delhi slum free. The government hopes to provide 400,000 houses to slum dwellers in future. The slum-residential-complexes under the Rajiv Ratna Awas Yojana of the central government have been planned in the peripheral areas of the city such as Narela, Shahdara, Jahangirpuri, and Najafgarh. These complexes will have basic amenities like schools, transport, parks, electricity, drinking water, and shops for daily needs, as per government sources.

Delhi will have another super-specialty hospital with 750-beds, as per sources. Due to the foreseen influx of English-speaking tourists during the Games, the Delhi government has launched an English teaching programme. The program will cover low-income individuals including the cab drivers, gatemen, service staff, and waiters, since they are expected to have high frequency of contact with tourists.

Intelligent video cameras will be installed at major intersections to help in traffic management on Delhi roads. The intelligent traffic system will enable the traffic officials to communicate via live video images from traffic intersections to the control centres, thereby giving them a clear picture of the situation and tackling issues with ease

Security

Security is going to be a major concern for the government, particularly after the recent serial blasts in Bangalore, Jaipur, Varanasi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. To promote security at prominent tourist destinations, “tourist police” force is likely to be deployed much ahead of the beginning of the Games. Many states have already implemented this program, while others will likely emulate this model by the end of this year.

Advantage Delhi

The CWG 2010 is going to be a catalyst in the development of Delhi. Construction of new roads, new world-class venues are expected to upgrade the infrastructure of the city. Improved transportation, roads, flyovers, playgrounds, residential complexes, and more! The city is undergoing the much-needed makeover, thanks to the CWG. But the pace needs to be faster, there is no second opinion on that.

Challenges

Being the capital city of India, New Delhi has considerable modern infrastructure in place such as new highways, pollution checks, and mass transportation, which make it a world-class city. But the city needs to prepare for the influx of people that is expected to occur during the 2010 event. An estimated $17.5 billion will be used into readying the city for the 2010 games. The money is to be used for giving the entire city a facelift, this will include overall city modernisation, construction of new roads, construction of new power plants, the Games Village, water utility services, increase in public transport, city beautification, traffic management, better connectivity, security, parking, health services, etc.