Handover of all remaining sites today, but are they really ready?

NEW DELHI: The Organizing Committee (OC) was scheduled to take charge of more than 15 venues for the Commonwealth Games 2010 yesterday . The handover didn’t take place, since it was a Sunday — though whether such luxuries can be afforded with barely two months left for the Games is a moot point.

The handover is now scheduled for Monday. Central Public Works Department , which has built 10 of the venues, says its work is complete. Delhi Development Authority is equally gung-ho about the state of its venues. The ground reality seems to have escaped both agencies.

Most stadia under CPWD have been reporting leakage, seepage and tumbling ceilings during the rains in the past few days.

DDA officials admit that the Yamuna Sports Complex’s main court — the show court — will take at least another 10 days to be ready as work on the ceiling is still underway.

Taking Stock

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (main) |

Waterlogging along low-lying rooms near field of play

Yamuna Sports Complex |

Show court to take another 10 days, work on ceiling for drainage still on, wooden flooring replaced

Karni Singh Shooting Range |

Leakage in 50m range

SP Mukherjee Swimming Complex |

Seepage on wall (officials say it’ll dry out), drainage system on roof being reworked

IG Stadium & Velodrome |

Cabling work and landscaping left

Siri Fort Sports Complex |

Water dripping (officials say it’s due to fire lines being checked), double treatment of roof ongoing

National Stadium |

Complete except for cabling. However, additional features, like manholes, put in which will extend work

Games Village |

Flat furnishing, approach road construction on
Top officials in denial mode

As D-Day approaches, agencies involved in construction work are firefighting on a daily basis to airbrush glitches.

The date to hand over Games venues to the organizing committee is here but the venues are far from ready. At Jawaharlal Nehru stadium complex large puddles of rainwater had accumulated in the low-lying sections of the stadium complex, leading to waterlogging. At Karni Singh shooting range, the 50m range venue had to get repair work done on the ceiling to fix leakages.

About the Yamuna sports complex , officials admitted the reason why drainage of rainwater was proving a problem was because of the new ‘‘ international’ ’ syphonic drainage system that had been installed for the first time in India. Said an official, ‘‘ The system hasn’t been successful . We’ve had to put in overflow pipes.”

Ironically, even venues that are in much better shape, like the National stadium, seem headed for more digging . Sources said that CPWD would need to put in additional features on the request of Telecommunications India Ltd (TCIL), which is doing the security and broadcast cabling work at the venues.

Fire-fighting seems to have become the norm as D-Day approaches . At YSC sources said the wooden flooring — part of the field of play — has been replaced as the ongoing work had damaged the original one. At SP Mukherjee complex, officials have been working overnight to address last week’s leakage, which they claim was ‘‘ overflow’’ of water. ‘‘

The resultant seepage will dry out on its own,’’ adds an official of the subcontracting company. At Siri Fort sports complex, officials are double treating the roof so as to ensure no leakages take place.

Senior officials, of course, refuse to admit the unpreparedness of the agencies to hand over any venue. CPWD’s B K Chugh, director general (works), says categorically : ‘‘ There are no leakages , just minor obstacles in some venues. We have used the best quality material in every stadium .’’

The quality of the material comes into question, however, when you consider the fact that Karni Singh’s ceiling apparently sprung a leak because workers were on the ‘‘ delicate’’ roof, which consists of layers of sheets.
So is OC ready for the handover? Lalit Bhanot, OC spokesperson, is cautiously optimistic , as he says venue owners have assured him all venues are ready.

‘‘ We will do an inspection of the venues before we take over, of course. If they fulfil our checklist , then the handover will commence ,’’ adds Bhanot. Venue operation teams have already started occupying rooms at many sites, added the secretary-general .