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CWG: 67 days to go
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium inaugurated
Himani Chandel
Tribune News Service

Sports Minister MS Gill and Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit during the inauguration of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadiumin New Delhi on Tuesday.
Sports Minister MS Gill and Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit during the inauguration of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadiumin New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

New Delhi, July 27
After missing several deadlines and seeing the budget shoot through the roof, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the most important venue of the Commonwealth Games (CWG), was today inaugurated by MS Gill, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs.

The stadium was one of the most important projects of the ministry as it will host the opening and closing ceremonies on October 3 and 14 besides the athletic events and has been completed at a whopping cost of over Rs 960 crore. The stadium has a sitting capacity of 60,000 spectators.

MS Gill, while inaugurating the stadium, said that it is the most magnificent stadium ever built in India in terms of design, architecture and engineering. “The stadium has been converted into almost a new one with the help of advance engineering and foreign consultants. The old stadium was around 30 years old and it took lot of collective efforts from all of us to give it this amazing shape. We had been waiting for this day,” said Gill.

The stadium unquestionably looks a state-of-the-art work but a lot of peripheral work is still going on. Sources said among other things the drainage system is not complete, something which has caused havoc at a couple of CWG sport venues.

However, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that the leakage, if any, would be corrected by August 30. “The sports ministry worked as a locomotive to get the stadium done at the scheduled time. There might be shortcomings or some work still left in parts of the stadiums but everything will get in place by August 30 or September first week,” she said.

Talking about the opening and closing ceremonies, the minister said that these are going to be spectacular events. The stadium has a 150m long air-conditioned underground tunnel that would be used by the performers during the ceremonies.

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Dikshit threatens blacklisting of contractors

New Delhi, July 27
Under mounting pressure to complete Commonwealth Games projects, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is using all tactics — from announcing rewards to PWD engineers to threatening blacklisting of contractors — to ensure finishing the works within final deadline of August 31.

Days after announcing a month’s salary as reward to PWD engineers if they complete works on time, Dikshit today warned the contractors of the projects that they will face blacklisting as well as fines if they miss the new deadline.

At a meeting with the contractors today, the Chief Minister also warned them not to compromise with quality of work, saying sub-standard work will invite heavy penalty.

“The contractors who fail to complete the projects by August 31 will not only be penalized, but also be blacklisted,” Dikshit, who has been under attack for the city’s tardy preparation for the Games, said.

The meeting was attended by all Cabinet Ministers of Delhi Government besides several top officials, including Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta.

“Do not put us to shame. Your little carelessness will bring bad name to the entire nation,” Dikshit said.

With just two months left for the event and several key projects running behind schedule, Dikshit last week had ordered various agencies concerned to work through the night to finish works as soon as possible. — PTI 

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