The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday said the government should make its position clear on the controversy surrounding the Commonwealth Games, stating that recent reports affected the country's image and questioned the amount of funds spent on renovating stadia.
Quoting figures available on the Commonwealth Games website, CPI (M) parliamentary party leader Sitaram Yechury said the cost of renovating the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium was Rs. 961 crore; the Indira Gandhi stadium Rs. 669 crore; the Dhyan Chand hockey stadium Rs. 262 crore; and the Karni Singh shooting ranges Rs. 149 crore. A total sum of Rs. 44,459.48 crore was spent on renovations.
“These costs are huge. Compare them with the costs incurred in the renovation of Ferozeshah Kotla cricket stadium in Delhi. It was Rs. 85 crore. For the Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium in Hyderabad, it was Rs. 80 crore, and construction of a new state-of-the art stadium in Nagpur cost Rs. 84 crore,'' he told journalists. The party's Lok Sabha leader Basudeb Acharia was also present.
He said these amounts were spent on renovation and not for creating new facilities. Unlike the Delhi cricket stadium that was built afresh, the Nehru stadium was only renovated. “With that kind of money we could have built many Ferozeshah Kotlas,'' Mr. Yechury said, demanding a comprehensive inquiry into the expenses.
Commenting on the spate of reports raising doubts about whether all the stadia would be ready for the Games, Mr. Yechury said, when the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, which he heads had cautioned about it a long time ago, it was seen as an “alarmist view.”
He also said the Centre should make it clear whether the Delhi government diverted funds meant for the Scheduled Castes/Tribes sub-plan.
