Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex here on Sunday and took stock of the preparations for the Commonwealth Games.
His visit comes amid reports of delay in construction works and sloppiness in the preparation of sporting venues for the mega event that begins on October 3.
Dr. Singh asked the authorities involved in the preparations to “redouble your efforts” and complete the work quickly, as “the people are expecting a spectacular and flawless opening” for the 12-day event.
He was accompanied by Sports Minister M.S. Gill and CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi.
At the recently renovated Jawaharlal Nehru Sport Complex, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies besides the track and field events, Dr. Singh was shown various facilities, including playing fields, media facilities, the Royal Box (for Britain's royal family) and the stands for spectators.
After going round the stadium, Dr. Singh described it as “beautiful.”
This is the Prime Minister's first visit to any of the sporting venues since the formation of a high-level committee of bureaucrats, headed by Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, which is daily monitoring the progress of the preparations. Dr. Singh intervened after allegations of corruption in the construction and other works emerged repeatedly, besides a prolonged delay in the completion of projects.
On August 14, Dr. Singh convened a high-level meeting and reviewed the preparations. Even a Group of Ministers (GoM), headed by Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy, was formed. Both the GoM and the committee have been asked to ensure that the projects are completed in a time-bound manner and streamline all the works.
