New Delhi, January 1
The 2,500-year-old city of Delhi is going through a makeover. The Ridge, the Yamuna, and much else is being transformed in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games in 2010. The avowed aim is to make Delhi a “world-class” city. Says Amita Baviskar, a sociologist, who has studied the changing urbanisation patterns of Delhi, “World class is a meaningless term. Delhi’s own character makes it unique, its history and connection with two ecological features the Ridge and the Yamuna make it distinctive.”
Interestingly, on the face of it there is an increase of nearly 100 per cent in the budget allocation to the Ministry of Sports for 2009-10. From a Rs 1,593 crore budget for 2008-09, this year it has been enhanced to Rs 3,073 crore. But, what is this additional Rs 1,500 crore going to?
A simple analysis spills the beans. A major chunk - Rs 1,385 crore - is going into constructing new stadiums for the Games. An additional Rs 269 crore has been earmarked for furnishing, upgrading venues and new equipment for the stadiums. A massive amount of Rs 390 crore has been set apart for the organising committees of the Sports Authority of India, the AITA and the Indian Olympic Association.
So, what does the sportsperson actually get out of this budget? A sum of Rs 180 crore has been allocated this year for preparation of teams which is just 6 per cent of the total budget. This is Rs 105 crore more than the allocation last year. Incentive to sportspersons has been reduced to Rs 8.5 crore from Rs 10.5 crore last year. There has been massive allocation for construction under other heads too; all in the name of the Games.
Delhi finance minister AK Walia said recently that with the Games fast approaching, construction has gone up although fresh allocations would help other projects, too, that are behind schedule. “Nearly Rs 4,657 crore would have been spent on construction in 2009,” says Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. She adds that there is no dearth of funds for the preparations. Moreover, the Central contribution has been approximately Rs 1,750 crore that aggregates to a total allocation of Rs 6,728 crore.
Improving transportation facilities also continues to be high on the agenda. The budget allocated to it is Rs 3,069 crore or a whopping 31 per cent of the total outlay. With no new projects announced of late, the money will be used on schemes like construction of Delhi Metro, procurement of 2,500 new Delhi Transport Corporation buses and building new flyovers, underpasses and rail over-bridges (RoBs). The Centre has agreed to fund 1,500 more buses under the JNUURM.
Further, Rs 111.61 crore has been released to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for constructing 17 RoBs for the Games. Rs 80 crore has been released to develop a modern parking for the new buses. Ironically, in the year in which India will be playing host to the costliest Commonwealth Games to date, the Ministry has not allocated anything for providing scholarships to sportspersons, as against Rs 5 crore allocated last year. The amount allocated for the talent search and training of sportspersons has also gone down to Rs 3 crore from Rs 5 crore in 2008-09. The Rural Sports Programme has been overlooked completely with no allocation made to it.
The events will be conducted at 12 venues, including Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Talkatora Swimming Pool and Indoor Sports Complex, Siri Fort Games Complex, National Stadium, Shivaji Stadium, Thyagraj Nagar Sports Complex and Delhi University. As per a recent report, the stadiums would be ready by September next year, thus, even after massive expenditure on construction of stadiums, the players will not be able to practise there.
Surprisingly, the focus is solely on the stadiums in Delhi, players face the same challenge in their home states and in most cases, there is no additional allocation for sports and equipment. It appears that the Games is a very profitable event for the construction companies and the real estate sharks.
