Embattled Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Saturday took responsibility for the shoddy preparations for the Commonwealth Games but said there was no question of resigning from the post.
Mr. Kalmadi, who faced some tough questioning from the media at two separate press conferences during the day, also made it clear that he would remain as President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) even after the Games.
“I am the chairman of Organising Committee and I will take all the responsibility. There is no issue. But I wish the venues were handed to us a little earlier,” he said.
Asked specifically if he should step down in view of the crisis, Mr. Kalmadi said “My job is to conduct the Games and I will do that. I am not going to quit”.
He also admitted that Organising Committee Secretary General Lalit Bhanot’s comments about hygienic standards between Indians and others were avoidable.
Mr. Kalmadi, who was seated along with Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell and CEO Mike Hooper, said still some work to be done but was “confident” that it will be done before the opening ceremony on October 3.
He also sidestepped the issue when he was questioned whether he feels that Mr. Fennell and CGF bosses are squarely putting the blame on the Organising Committee.
“I don’t think he has pointed fingers at the OC. The developer has to hand the venues over to OC and then it is our responsibility. As far as the Games Village is concerned, 18 towers were handed to us and we completed the work on time. The rest 18 were handed over late and that what the problem is,” he said.
Mr. Kalmadi sought to blame various agencies who were handed the rights for construction and renovation of the stadiums and Games Village.
“Contrary to popular belief that OC had the right to spend Rs. 30-40,000 crore on the organisation, we only had Rs. 1,600 crore allotted. The rest was taken care by the government and Indian Olympic Association.
“Everyone had fixed responsibilities. Our job was to ensure that the athletes of all countries would reach safely, ensure that there stay is comfortable,” Mr. Kalmadi said.
On security, he said they had been having meetings for the last couple of years. The Home Ministry and Delhi Lt. Governor Tejinder Khanna have been holding constant meetings.
“We have had a CGF advisor who has been monitoring the progress of the work every second month,” he said.
Mr. Kalmadi tried to play down the issue of Jama Masjid firing incident last Sunday and saying it has been blown out of proportion.
“The Jama Masjid (shootout) incident is not related to the Games. These are minor issues, blown out of proportion. There was already a proper security in place and it has been beefed up further,” he said.
“We have some issues in the Games Village but I think it is a fine Village. Only that some blocks have to be cleaned up. But the infrastructure is good... I can assure you that our aim is to host a good Games. Our aim is to do as good as Melbourne did in 2006,” he said.
He told an English journalist that athletes were made to stay in a university hostel during the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 but they did not complain.
When a member of the Australian media asked whether this entire mess meant the end of the Olympic dream for India, he replied: “We will answer that question once the Games are over.
Mr. Kalmadi also said that the OC has come out with a slogan “Come as a friend and go back as a family,” which will serve as the is the message for athletes and officials of the 71 Commonwealth countries.
