Sunday, July 25, 2010

Games Deadline + Monsoon = Chaos

A bumpy road to Commonwealth Games

NDTV Correspondent

New Delhi:  Barely two months to go for the Commonwealth Games and construction agencies in Delhi are worried. With the rain pouring down almost every other day and civic agencies missing deadline after deadline, it's now a mad rush just to complete the work they have started.
A few hours of downpour in the host city, brings it to its knees. Even on an ordinary day, roads are seen dug up everywhere and there is debris on pavements. It is a commuting nightmare that has compounded in the rain. 
Traffic logjam and water logging is a common sight, and roads have started caving in. 
With civic agencies missing deadline after deadline, it's now a mad rush just to complete the work they have started, before international players arrive for the Commonwealth Games in September.
"We will not carry out the works which have not been started, says Rakesh Mehta, Delhi Chief Secretary.
 This half-finished facelift has already cost Rs 30,000 crores. The cost of living with it is an everyday nightmare. 
"They wash out because they use sub standard material. It is our money," says a commuter. 
The Commonwealth Games are being promoted as an opportunity to showcase the city to one lakh tourists, but with all the pot holes on the roads, it could be bumpy memories that they take home.

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