NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Construction delays have raised fears that Commonwealth Games venues may not be fully ready in time providing a potential embarrassment for India which hopes the Games will showcase its rising economic power.
The country is expecting two million tourists in New Delhi, as well as athletes from 71 teams from the 54 Commonwealth member states for the Oct. 3-14 Games. About 10,000 athletes and officials are due to take part.
However, with 131 days to go, the main stadium is months overdue and completion of the swimming pool and other venues has been delayed, highlighting the slow pace of India’s infrastructure development.
“I am not wanting to sound alarmist, but the reality is there is a lot more to be done, a lot of finishing work to be done,” Mike Hooper, chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Games Federation, told Reuters in an interview.
Other officials from the Commonwealth Games Federation and the Indian Olympic Association voiced similar concerns.
India had initially promised to hand over the venues to Games organisers by Dec. 31, 2009.
Targets have been consistently missed for building roads, ports and power plants. Bureaucracy and red tape and difficulties in acquiring land have delayed plans to overhaul infrastructure to sustain 8-9 percent economic growth by 2012.
Experts say poor infrastructure shaves an estimated 1 or 2 percentage points off India’s annual economic growth.
The capital is also repairing old colonial buildings and completing new roads and rail links to give the city a makeover to try to ensure a successful event.
DEADLINES MISSED
But the signs have not been encouraging.
“The construction agencies have promised that they will meet deadlines but, unfortunately, we have had times when many promises were made and then we find one reason or another that delivery hasn’t been there,” Hooper said.
Authorities now fear the schedule will become so tight they will have insufficient time to check venues for glitches before the Games open.
Heightening those fears, the lights went out at a stadium on the first day of an Asian junior tennis tournament on Monday, forcing officials to abandon eight matches.
“The Games will happen, swimming will happen, athletics will happen,” Hooper said. “But it comes down to the level and standards of completion, I suppose.”
