NATIONAL LAW

UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW

Project On
Political Science
Commonwealth Games 2010 :
An Overview

Submitted to:
Submitted by:
Ms. Monika Srivastava
Deeptanshu Singh
Asstt. Prof.
Semester - I

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Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya
Section A
National Law University
Roll No. 43
Lucknow

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Firstly, I would like to thank respected

Ms. Monika Srivastava for giving me
such a golden opportunity to show my
skills, though my project.

The project is the result of extensive

ultrapure study; hard work and labor, put
into make it worth reading.

I wish to acknowledge that I completed

this project by receiving help of my
friends and teacher .His class lectures
helped me immense to gather relevant
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informations.This project couldn’t be
completed without the help of my
university library Dr. Madhu Limaye
library and through university’s internet.
I am also very thankful to my
batchmates for supporting me to tackle
every stumbling block in my way.

Deeptanshu Singh

Sem I

Table of contents

 Introduction …………………………………….4
 Mascot of game ……………………….………. 4
 Queens betton relay ……………………………..4

 Concerns and controversies ……………………..5

 Opening ceremony ………………………………9

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  Venues of Game …………………………………11

 Security system ………………………………….12

 Medal table ………………………………………15

 Closing ceremony ………………………………..15

 Corruption scandals marring Games ……………..17

 Steps taken by government ……………………….19

 Conclusion …………………………………………22

 Bibliography ……………………………………….23

Introduction
Commonwealth games second major sporting event after Olympic games, these
games are inspired by Olympic games.Recently India hosted its most precious
nineteenth Commonwealth Games 2010 in its capital city Delhi. It was after 28
years that India got the responsibility to host any such event. Before this India
hosted Asiad games in 1951 and then again in 1981. 71 teams from 52 countries

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from all over world i.e. the commonwealth nations participated in this huge
event. The games village was decorated like a bride for the events. Big
television screens were installed on the roadside to ease the residents of Delhi
to see the games going on in games village. Whole event was full of blast of
rumours and facts that brought shame to India in the global level. But India was
able to successfully organise its list of events in due course of time which was a
blow to all those criticizing India for hosting the event. But then also it is a need
to have a look over the whole procedure of hosting Commonwealth Games
2010 to check the amount of money used and wasted in the name of
commonwealth games. The newspapers from July only were full of the news of
games – the preparation of games and the discrepancies evolved as such. This
project is just an approach to overview India in Commonwealth Games 2010.

Mascot of game
The official mascot for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is Shera, an
anthropomorphised tiger. His name comes from "Sher", a hindi word meaning
tiger (Hindi "Bagh" means tiger. However, Sher is colloquially used for both
lion and tiger). The logo and the look for the games were designed by Idiom
Design and Consulting. There is one song for Shera also composed by the
popular composer of INDIA the song contains initiative "Shera Shera"

Queens baton relay

There is a tradition of holding the betton relay by the hosting nation before
inaugurating the games. The Queen's Baton Relay began when the baton, which
contains Queen Elizabeth II's message to the athletes, left Buckingham Palace
on 29 October 2009. The baton arrived at the 2010 Games opening ceremony
on 3 October 2010, after visiting the other 54 nations of the Commonwealth and
travelling throughout India, reaching millions of people to join in the
celebrations for the Games.The baton arrived in India on 25 June 2010 through
the Wagah Border crossing from Pakistan.

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The baton was designed by Michael Foley, a graduate of the National Institute
of Design. It is a triangular section of aluminium twisted into a helix shape and
then coated with coloured soils collected from all the regions of India. A jewel-
encrusted box was used to house the Queen's message, which was laser-
engraved onto a miniature 18 carat gold leaf—representative of the ancient
Indian 'patras. The Queen's baton is ergonomically contoured for ease of use. It
is 664 millimetres (26.1 in) high, 34 millimetres (1.3 in) wide at the base, and
86 millimetres (3.4 in) wide at the top and weighs 1,900 grams (67 oz).

The Queen's baton has a number of technological features including:

■The ability to capture images and sound

■Global positioning system (GPS) technology so the baton's location can be

tracked

■Embedded light emitting diodes (LEDs) which will change into the colours of
a country’s flag whilst in that country

■A text messaging capability so that people can send messages of

congratulations and encouragement to the baton bearers throughout the relay

Concerns and controversies

Several concerns were raised over the preparations of the Games and these
included excessive budget overruns, likelihood of floods in Delhi due to heavy
monsoon rains, infrastructural compromise, poor living conditions at the
Commonwealth Games Village, delays in construction of the main Games'
venues, the withdrawal of prominent athletes, widespread corruption by
officials of the Games' Organising Committee and possibility of a terrorist
attack by militants.

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The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi was criticized by several prominent
Indian politicians and social activists. One of the outspoken critics of the Games
is Mani Shankar Aiyar, former Indian Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports. In
April 2007, Aiyar commented that the Games are "irrelevant to the common
man" and criticized the Indian government for sanctioning billions of dollars for
the Games even though India requires massive investment in social
development programs. In July 2010, he remarked that he would be "unhappy if
the Commonwealth Games are successful". Miloon Kothari, leading Indian
expert on socio-economic development, questioned the justification of spending
billions of dollars on a 12-day sports event "when 46% of India's children and
55% of women are malnourished".

Concerns raised by Aiyar were echoed by several others in India. Initial

concerns about the 2010 Commonwealth Games included delays in completion
of projects, poor construction standards, corruption by Games' Organising
Committee officials and possibility of a terrorist attack. The Indian media also
alleged that Games' Organising Committee officials were involved in serious
corruption and these allegations included acceptance of bribe during the process
of awarding construction contracts for the Games' venues. The Commonwealth
Games Organising Committee on 5 August 2010 suspended T S Darbari (joint
director in the organising committee) and Sanjay Mahendroo (deputy director
general in the organising committee) following the report of the three-member
panel which was probing the financial irregularities related to the Queen's Baton
Relay. Organising Committee treasurer Anil Khanna resigned from the post in
the wake of allegations that his son's firm had secured a contract for laying
synthetic courts at a tennis stadium. On September 23, The Daily Telegraph UK
showed photographs taken of child labour working on the Games sites. There
was also multiple cases of items being rented for the 45 days for more money

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than it would cost to actually buy the item. In one such case, 72 golf carts were
hired for 4.23 lakh (US$ 9,602.1) each, when they could have been purchased
for 1.84 lakh (US$ 4,176.8) each.

Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), an apex Government of India anti-

corruption agency, released a report highlighting financial irregularities in up to
fourteen Games projects. As per CVC report, in total 129 works in 71
organisations have been inspected. The preliminary findings include —
complete lack of involvement of the city and the community at large, award of
work contracts at higher prices, poor quality assurance and management, and
award of work contracts to ineligible agencies.

Weeks before the start of the Games, Indian media outlets highlighted the poor
construction standards at several of the main Games venues. In late September
2010, the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation remarked that the
Games Village were far from completion and needed a "deep clean" and New
Zealand's chef de mission even claimed that the Games might not take place
given the amount of work to be done. The concerns came to media attention in
late September 2010 after media outlets began reporting on "filthy and
unlivable conditions" and taking photos of paan stains and excrement in living
quarters at the games village. Just a day after these remarks, a footbridge under
construction near the Nehru Stadium collapsed, injuring 27 and seriously
injuring five. On 22 September 2010, some tiles at the wrestling stadium's false
ceiling caved in; however, there were no reported injuries. After the start of the
games, a large scoreboard at the rugby stadium toppled over, though before any
competitions had started in the stadium. Security concerns were highlighted by
an Australian TV crew from the Seven Network who claimed to have walked
past security with a suitcase containing a dummy bomb casing and its detonator
on 15 September, although the claim was later revealed to be 'bogus' and
dishonest journalism. Concerns of a terrorist attack were also raised following a

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gun attack that took place outside the Jama Masjid on 19 September 2010.
However, the Indian authorities stated that the shooting was a "one-off
incident".

In the opening ceremony, the chairman of Organising Committee, Suresh

Kalmadi, faced further embarrassment when he was booed by the Indian
spectators at the start of his welcome speech. The crowd atmosphere otherwise
was upbeat, especially when they offered a warm applause to the neighboring
Pakistan squad despite the tense relations between India and Pakistan.

More than a dozen athletes from Australia and England, mainly swimmers, fell
ill in the initial days of the swimming competitions. Early suspicions rested on
the quality of water in the swimming pools of the SPM Complex, but other
competing teams, including South Africa, reported no such illness. Daily water
quality tests were being carried out on the water of the pools, as mandated by
the event standards. Additional tests were ordered after news of the illnesses,
but they also did not find anything amiss. The Australian team's chief doctor,
Peter Harcourt, ruled that the "chances of the [Delhi] pool being the cause of the
problem is very remote" and praised the hygiene and food quality in the Delhi
Games Village.[158] He suggested that it could be a common case of Traveler's
diarrhea (locally called Delhi belly), or the Australian swimmers could have
contracted the stomach virus during their training camp in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. English Olympic and Commonwealth gold-medalist swimmer
Rebecca Adlington said that the water quality was absolutely fine.

In another incident, three Ugandan officials were injured when the car they
were travelling in hit a security wheel stopper at the Games village. The
chairman of the Games' Organising Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, apologized to
the Ugandan High Commissioner to India for the freak car accident.

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The negative pre-event publicity and heavy security presence played in part in
low spectator attendance during the initial events. However the numbers picked
up as the Games progressed.

Condition of games village before opening ceremony

• Most sporting venues, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (track and
field) and the swimming complex was not ready by the August 1 deadline.

• At the table tennis facility, a false ceiling collapsed.

• At the weightlifting site, new vinyl flooring was peeling.

• The brand new shooting range was inaugurated in May, but embankments
have collapsed.

• Trial weightlifting and swimming events had to be canceled, because the sites
were not ready.

• The swimming stadium was inaugurated a few days back, but got flooded.

• There were reports of water seepage in the boxing stadium.

• The bidding process for catering was canceled, and will now be hurried
through (read higher costs and less choice!).

• At Khan Market, brand new granite pavements were too slippery and have
been dug up again!

• Subways at Connaught Place cannot be finished on time, and will be boarded

up.

• Also at the last moment one of the footbridge was collapsed which was later
constructed temporarily by army men at war footing time resulting in the loss of
approximately 10 crores.

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Opening ceremony
The nineteenth Commonwealth Games got off to an inspiring and magnificent
start on 3rd of October, 2010 at the Indian Capital with the opening ceremony,
which unfolded without any glitch. The Commonwealth Games, 2010, opening
ceremony which started on 7 P.M, put up a brilliant show of more than two
hours at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi. The ceremony beautifully
portrayed and upholded the great journey of India with all its unique
features. Almost 65,000 people gathered to watch out the mesmerizing show
put up by India at the CWG 2010 opening ceremony. The Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium in Delhi roared with the rapturous applauds of the numerous visitors.
The Prince of Wales i.e. Prince Charles and his wife and Duchess of Cornwall,
Camilla were present at the opening ceremony of CWG, 2010, who were
acquainted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. They were accompanied
by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the President of India,
Prathiba Patil.

The Commonwealth Games 2010 opening ceremony commenced with the

national anthem of India. The Nagada drummers along with the Shankha
trumpeters beat the countdown of the opening ceremony as the "Aerostat"
moved high up into glory.

Traditional classical dancers from India showcased the guru-shishya tradition

which was popular in ancient India. Many traditional and prestigious dance
forms like Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Mohiniattam, Manipuri and
Kuchipudi were performed by talented and popular artists along with the great
musicians playing the sitars. Young athletes put up their stunning performances
in the form of 'Surya Namaskar' and yoga asanas. The participants from all the
countries at the Commonwealth Games 2010 were welcomed. Many popular
and important personalities graced the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth

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Games 2010 with their presence. The Commonwealth Games Theme Song
performed by A.R Rahman and the dazzling fireworks were also there to add to
the excitement and joy of the 19th Commonwealth Games being held in Delhi.
It even managed to start on time, to the very second, proving there are some
deadlines that Games organisers are capable of meeting.

But there was one person in the stadium who found it an uncomfortable night
after being roundly booed as he rose to make the opening speech during the
formal part of the proceedings.

“India is ready,” proclaimed the hapless chairman of the Games organising

committee, Suresh Kalmadi, adding: “There have been many challenges but we
have been able to rise above them all.”

The hostile reaction from spectators, prompting a quizzical look from the Prince
of Wales, showed exactly what they thought of such crowing.

After revelations of “filthy” living conditions in the athletes’ village,

incomplete venues and malfunctioning technology — all on Kalmadi’s watch -
what should have been a showcase of India’s emerging economic power has
turned into a PR catastrophe. And judging by Sunday, Indians know exactly
who is to blame. No collapsing scenery or malfunctioning sound system. No
fluffed lines, botched choreography or missed cues and not a single stray dog in
sight. The preparations for the XIXth Commonwealth Games may have been an
unmitigated disaster but India certainly knows how to put on a show.

Venues of commonwealth games

The XIX Commonwealth Games being hosted by India at Delhi, was held
across six venue clusters and six stand alone venues. In all, there were ten
competition venues and forty-two training venues, sixteen existing and twenty-
six new venues.

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The opening and closing ceremonies was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium,
which also hosted to athletics, lawn bowl and weight lifting. The stadium,
originally constructed for the Asian Games in 1982 and named after India's first
Prime Minister, will boast a seating capacity of 75,000 spectators post
renovation for the games.

The other five venue clusters were:

Cluster 2 : The Indira Gandhi Sports Complex:

The complex, a mere six kilometers from the Games Village, hosted cycling,
gymnastics & wrestling events.

Cluster 3 : Yamuna Sports Complex:

The Yamuna Sports Complex hosted table tennis & the qualifying rounds of
archery

Cluster 4 : Siri Fort Sports Complex:

The Siri Fort Complex hosted to badminton & squash.

Cluster 5 : MDC National Stadium Complex:

Hockey and the finals of Archery was held at this venue.

Cluster 6 : Talkatora Garden Complex:

The Talkatora complex hosted swimming and boxing.

Security system

All the venues related to the Games were protected by 4 layers of tight security
– the outer, middle, inner and the exclusive levels. The elaborate and
“impregnable” security plan includes patrolling, deployment of

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plainclothesmen, widespread anti-sabotage checks, quick-reaction teams,
commando strike teams, snipers, and bomb-disposal squads. In addition, there
were extensive aerial reconnaissance over the entire area.

The outer ring constituted monitoring of park-and-ride facilities, surveillance

via closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs), and access-control steps such as
soft-checking of tickets.

In the middle security cordon, both visitors and spectators were “channelised”
to designated seats at the venues concerned. The middle ring had apart from
electronic surveillance, snipers positioned on rooftops.

In the inner cordon, tickets were re-checked using barcode-screening and also
by using photos of the spectators taken. Vehicles of the VIPs, visiting
dignitaries, officials of the organising committee and of the participants and
their families were get checked through pre-allotted radio-frequency
identification, under-vehicle scanners and licence-plate scanners. Boom
barriers, road-blockers and tyre-killers will be put in place in order to prevent
forcible entry into any of the venues.

Any entry to the innermost level, or the exclusive zone, was permitted only
after a person is screened through manual frisking; door-frame detectors, metal
detectors and hand-held detectors; X-ray baggage scanners; and closed-circuit
television cameras. According to Special Commissioner of Police
(Administration) Neeraj Kumar, the ‘holistic’ security plan was carried out in
coordination with civic, medical, intelligence and security agencies.

The elaborate security arrangements for the Delhi Commonwealth Games

covered the Games Village, the 12 venues for sporting competitions, the 15
venues for standalone practice, over 50 standalone parking sites, the 9 hotels
where the dignitaries stayed, the central logistical centres located on the

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Mathura Road, the media centre at Pragati Maidan, besides the entire Delhi city
in general.

A hub named the Command, Control, Communication, Coordination and

Integration Centre was established at the Delhi Police Headquarters in order to
ensure real-time coordination among the various monitoring and assisting
agencies. And, these different agencies stood interconnected via wireless sets,
landline phones, mobile phones, hotlines, and the Tetra trunk system.

Expert teams to respond to improvised explosives devices (IEDs) as well as

chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological explosives were stationed at all
key location in and around the sporting and residential facilities.

From the skies, planes of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and helicopter-borne
assault teams guarded all the facilities below.

All policemen were issued what is called “non-cloneable” identity cards in

order to prevent any impersonation.

All residential complexes, hotels and parking lots in the entire area were
“sanitised” and closed one week before the Games kicks off. Hotel-related
precautions included checking of the antecedents of all the hotel staff and
checking of the food for the participants.

All the participants were escorted by armed commandos; vehicles carrying the
athletes and officials will be subjected to anti-sabotage checks each morning;
antecedents of all the drivers will be verified; and fuelling and parking will be
only at designated places.

The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal by the Electronics Corporation of

India Limited (ECIL) for an Integrated Security System (ISS) for the
Commonwealth Games.

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The ISS, costing Rs 370 crore, is to cover all venues used for competitions and
training as well as the Games Village.

Seven days before the Games starts, a crack team of commandos, the Special
Operations Group (SOG), took over the security of Indira Gandhi International
(IGI) Airport in Delhi, where a large number of athletes, officials, dignitaries
and spectators are to land.

Medal table

Only the top ten nations by medal rank are shown in this medal table. Nations
are ranked first by count of gold medals, then silver medals, then bronze
medals.

Rank
Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 Australia 74 55 48 177

2 India 38 27 36 101

3 England 37 59 46 142

4 Canada 26 17 32 75

South
5 12 11 10 33
Africa

6 Kenya 12 11 9 32

7 Malaysia 12 10 13 35

8 Singapore 11 11 9 31

9 Nigeria 11 10 14 35

10 Scotland 9 10 7 26

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Closing ceremony

Finally after a 10 days nail bitting competitions the Commonwealth games 2010
come to the end on 14 October 2010. Skies over the national capital lit with
multi-colour laser beams and fireworks as part of 160-minute closing ceremony
at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium filled to capacity of 60,000 cheering sports
lovers including vice-president Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi as well as other sundry
VIPs.

The ceremony began with the arrival of dignitaries who included the Prime
Minister, the vice-president, UPA chairperson, CGF chief Michael Fennell and
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the guest of honour.

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There was much excitement and euphoria in store when a tribute was paid to the
India's sporting spirit, aptly titled Agni -- a segment that featured the fiery and
passionate tradition of the country's martial arts. Chants of Agni shloka
preceded eight martial art forms -- Kalaripayattu, Naga warriors, Thangta,
Gatka, Silambam, Akhara, Dhan Patta, Talwar Raas -- that enthralled the
audience as skies lit up with dazzling fireworks.

Fourteen military bands, 17 pipes and drums of various regiments and batallions
of the Indian Army performed in unison as pigeons were set free. The
performers sprinkled the tri-colour of Indian flags, signifying the festival of
Holi in what turned out to be a visual delight.

The ceremonial flag handover segment began with Delhi chief minister Sheila
Dikshit saying, "In a few moments, the ceremonial flag will be entrusted to your
care so that in due time you deliver it to Glasgow." Official representative of the
2014 host city, Robert Winter, who is the Lord Provost of Glasgow, said, "This
duty I willingly undertake to fulfil," as the Games flag was lowered with an
Army band in the background.

Over 2,700 shots of fireworks, 25 stacks of speakers producing 500,000 watts

of sound and 1,200 moving lights combined with the majestic aerostat came
together to create a spectacular Closing Ceremony of the Games.Leaving the
about 60,000 spectators spellbound were the lighting arrangements that took
people through various moods, from that of national pride when the national
anthem was being played to that of pure ecstasy as laser beams cut through the
grand stadium.Technological combination of 1,200 moving lights, 120 space
cannons and 16 follow spots weighing left the spectators is sheer awe.Another
attraction was the Aerostat, suspended 25 metres above the ground. With a size
of 40m X 80m X 12m and a 360 degree projection surface, the aerostat was
really a showstopper.

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Musicians Taufique Qureshi, dhol players Kamal Sabri, Niladri Kumar, Bikram
Ghosh, Sivamani and Raghav Sachar performed in the event. There was also
further entertainment from singers Kailash Kher, Zila Khan, Sukhwinder, Ila
Arun, Usha Uthup, Shiamak Davar, Shankar Mahadevan, Shubha Mudgal,
Sunidhi Chauhan and Sreeram who belted out some Indian chartbursters.

Corruption scandals marring Commonwealth Games 2010

Finally Commonwealth Games are over but it has burst a volcano of

controversies over the Organising Committee. Various reports installed
everyday clarifies it. Some of them are

• Officials of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), India’s

government watchdog agency have brought to light that construction
quality certificates scrutinized in 16 Games-related projects had turned
out to be “fake or suspect”.

• A quick audit reveals that out of the eight firms bidding or one contract,
five are owned by two business groups. This subverts the process of
inviting three contractors for a bid as the entire contract is awarded to a
single bidder

• Although about 4, 50,000 pounds have transferred to London so far.

Adding to the woes of the Commonwealth Games Organizing
Committee, the roof of the weightlifting auditorium, in New Delhi
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which was inaugurated on Sunday, Aug 01,
started leaking due to heavy showers.

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Comprehensive Report on Commonwealth Games
Launched in Delhi: Panel of Experts Questions
Secrecy and Undemocratic Nature of CWG
Process
by Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), Wednesday 16 June 2010

On 13 May 2010 Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) launched a

report titled, "The 2010 Commonwealth Games: Whose Wealth? Whose
Commons?" , HLRN undertook a study on various dimensions of the
Games. The HLRN study questions the rationale for spending thousands of
crores of rupees on a one-time sporting event, which instead of delivering
any benefits to the masses is resulting in multiple violations of human
rights, especially of the most marginalised sections of society.

The main findings of the report include:

• India’s decision to bid for the Commonwealth Games 2010 was non-
transparent and undemocratic and cost the country Rs. 137 crore. India
offered US $7.2 million to train athletes of all Commonwealth nations -
an offer which allegedly clinched the bid in India’s favour.

• The Government of India and Delhi decided to underwrite costs and

budget shortfall of the Games, despite the fact that the Ministry of
Finance, Department of Expenditure, Government of India, cautioned
against it in 2003.

• The budget for the CWG has risen from an initial projection of Rs. 1,899
crore to an official figure of Rs. 10,000 crore and independent expert
estimates of Rs. 30,000 crore.

• The expenditure on sports infrastructure is already 2,160% of the initial

projected budget.

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 • The increase in the Union Budget allocation for the CWG from the
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports rose by 6,235% from 2005-06 to
2009-10.

• Total expenditure on infrastructure, beautification projects, and security

is unknown but likely to be hundreds of crores.

• A July 2009 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India

(CAG) raised questions on certain financial aspects of the Games,
including sponsorships and revenue generation.

• Funds from the 2009-10 Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (Special

ComponentPlan) in Delhi have been diverted to cover CWG related
expenditures.

• Over one lakh families have already been evicted due to CWG related
projects. 44 more JJ clusters are to be removed before the Games and an
estimated 30,000 - 40,000 families will be displaced.

• ’Beggars’ and homeless citizens are being arrested and arbitrarily

detained under the Bombay Prevention of Beggary Act 1959. The
Department of Social Welfare has announced ’no- tolerance zones’ in
Delhi and plans to send them back to their states of origin.

• There is rampant exploitation of workers at CWG construction sites,

including low pay, inadequate living conditions, and lack of safety
equipment.

• Experience from around the world has demonstrated that mega sports
events result in losses for the host country, especially when security costs
are factored in. India’s expenses for the CWG are likely to create a
negative financial legacy for the nation, the effects of which are already
visible in the form of higher cost of living and taxes for Delhi residents.

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 • The Games are unlikely to improve sports in India since investment is
concentrated on stadiums, which lie largely unused after the event, as in
the case of the 1982 Asian Games.

Steps taken by government to investigate the controversies

over Games

Government auditor CAG will restart audit of expenses incurred for hosting
controversy-marred Commonwealth Games on October 15 -- a day after the
closing ceremony -- and would submit report within three months.

CAG had begun vetting the Games' expenditure in August. The audit work for
CWG is related to work payments, contracts and leasing of sports equipment
among others.

The official said the report would be submitted to the government by January-
end and they expect it to be presented in the Budget session of Parliament in
February. The official said that auditing of works is half-way and the works
have been suspended as the CAG inspection department could not access the
premises of Central Public Works Department (CPWD). In August last year,
the CAG had submitted an evaluation report to the Prime Minister's Office and
the sports ministry pointing out the slow pace of progress of all the projects
connected with the Games. The CAG study last year had also highlighted that
all the projects would struggle to finish on time. However, after the award of
Games-related work to India in 2003, no activity was undertaken till 2006.

The CAG audit would look into how the balance between the cost and quality
has been maintained and whether there has been any cost overrun. The CWG is
in the thick of allegations of corruption ranging from favouritism in award of
contracts to expensive hire of equipment for training and inflation in costs of

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building contracts. In an inspection report released in August this year, the CAG
had criticised the CWG Organising Committee over appointment of two
consultants for broadcast rights and sponsorship agreements.

There has been a projected loss of revenue of over Rs 24 crore on account of

giving contract to Fast Track Sales Ltd (Rs 5.20 crore on account of increased
commission) and due to deficiencies in the services of the consultant (Rs 19
crore), the report had said.

CVC REPORT ON CORRUPTION

The CVC report has asked the CBI to register a corruption case against certain
MCD officials in connection with irregularities in a tender issued for a
Commonwealth Games project worth several crores. There are reports that the
Central Vigilance Commission has asked the CBI to probe certain transactions
of the Games.

Official sources said a letter of complaint has been sent to the CBI asking for a
probe into alleged criminal conspiracy by unknown MCD officials while
granting work for upgradation of street lighting in the national capital.

They said the contractor who had got the job after quoting the lowest amount
for the project was later allegedly allowed to change the figures to earn more
profit.However, the exact amount of profits made by the contractor could not be
ascertained but officials believe it may run up to Rs. 20 crore.

The CVC has found serious discrepancies like award of works at higher rates to
bidders, poor quality of construction and grant of work to ineligible agencies in
different Games-related construction works being carried out by various
departments in the capital.

As per the assessment report prepared by the CVC's Chief Technical

Examination Wing, large-scale procedural violations, including corruption,

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have been noticed in 16 projects. The cost of the projects has been estimated to
be about Rs. 2,000 crore. Six of them are being done by Public Works
Department (PWD), three by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), two each
by Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Delhi Development Authority
(DDA), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and one by RITES, a
Government of India Enterprise, the report said.

The CVC has asked Chief Vigilance Officers to re-examine all the tenders and
procurement process related to the projects. According to the report, "Almost all
the organisations executing works for Commonwealth Games have considered
inadmissible factors to jack-up the reasonable price to justify award of work at
quoted rates citing urgent or emergent circumstances. Despite higher rates,
poor site management and delays and quality compromises have been
observed."

Conclusion

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India successfully hosted the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 from 3 Oct. to
14 Oct. 2010. It Not only hosted the games to its level of excitement but also
showed excellence in the games by holding 2 position with 101 medals
comprising of 38 gold, 27 silver and 36 bronze medals. Suresh Kalmadi, the
president was in continuous controversy for the last months regarding the
corruption and discrepancies in game. A total sum of Rs70,000 crores was used
to successfully organize the events. Now, the question which pops up in every
mind is that whether this huge amount was worth spending for the games? If not
then where does this Rs70,000 crores went? Who is responsible for it?

The answers to all the above questions are evolving steadily with the formations
of various commissions to investigate on the matter and their reports, some of
which has been given in this project. We cannot deny from the fact that the
government is taking appropriate steps to investigate over the matter. Recently
Suresh Kalmadi has been denied from his post of presidentship. Sonia Gandhi
has appointed a commission under the leadership of V K Shunghul to look over
the matter. The report of Central Vigilance Commission is still to come which
will further reveal the discrepancies and hidden corruption. But above all “All
well that ends well.” After so many news of collapsing of buildings, seepage of
ceilings etc the game ended with no complaints. We are proud to host such an
event.

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 Bibliography

• http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/corruption-scandal-hits-2010-games-
organisers-deny-charges-40991

• http://dailymailnews.com/0810/07/Editorial_Column/DMEditorial.php

• http://2010commonwealthgamesindia.blogspot.com/

• http://www.sacw.net/article1476.html
• \
http://www.thecgf.com/media/games/2010/2010_eval_report.
pdf

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