New Delhi, September 25
A mission clean-up has been embarked upon in the Commonwealth Games Village after it came under scathing criticism by the foreign delegates of the participating countries.

With not more than eight days left for the Games, the labourers are forced to work at a maddening speed in order to meet the deadline as foreign teams wait to take a final call about moving to the village. Thousands of nameless and faceless labourers are working day and night. The Games depend largely on them, but ironically, they are overstrained with little wages and negligible safety assurance.

"It is an ongoing process and a strategy for maintenance is being followed. We will resolve all concerns. The apartments have remained unoccupied and therefore some issues are coming up," said Dalbir Singh, village mayor.

The army of cleaners include 500 workers provided by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation of Delhi (NDMC) along with 550 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) workers who are out to clean up the mess. Some 400 MCD sanitation employees and 150 supervisory staff were deployed in two shifts to clean the village. The NDMC is also involved in cleaning the dirt inside the village flats.

The MCD is also busy dealing with the dog menace in the village. The civic agency has caught as many as 160 stray dogs from in and around the village.

The job of cleaning the village and other venues was given to two main companies Kalpataru and A2Z. However, the performance of Kalpataru, which is in charge of cleaning the village residential towers, was found to be unsatisfactory. The OC is now contemplating to rope in more agencies.

While A2Z, which is supposed to clean and maintain nearly 60 of the CWG premises for a cost of Rs 20 crore, will deploy 5,000 people.

Fogging and spraying of anti-larval chemical were also conducted in the area. In an embarrassment to the organisers less than two weeks before the Commonwealth Games, the CGF had earlier this week termed the athletes village filthy and uninhabitable and gave the Organising Committee two days to sort out the mess.

The village is also facing the problem of labour crunch as many of them refused to work because of poor wages.

New Delhi, September 25
An engineering regiment of the Indian Army today started the challenging exercise of constructing a makeshift bridge outside Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium which would come in place of a swanky foot overbridge which had collapsed on September 21 due to its faulty construction, injuring 27 persons, five of them serious.

Thousands of spectators expected on the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games were supposed to use this bridge and its collapse made the state government hit panic button and send an SOS to the army to raise a bridge in the minimum possible time as the Games begins on October 3.

The 3rd regiment of the Corps of Regiment of the Indian Army, which comprises about 800 personnel, swung into action today and would be making a Bailey bridge within 120 hours.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said they had to use the services of the army as they needed a bridge to facilitate the movement of spectators during the ceremonies and the uniformed personnel were the only ones capable of meeting the requirement.

Army officers working on the bridge expressed confidence that they would be able to hand over the bridge to the civil authorities within the time frame. The bridge would be raised on three pillars and, though, it would not be an engineering marvel, it would serve the purpose. And it was the only alternative after the original bridge, which had cost the public Rs 10.5 crore, collapsed so near the Games.

The government decided to engage the services of the army in a meeting yesterday after it realised that the alternative plan made by the Public Works Department for the entry of spectators raised security concerns and would not be permitted by the Delhi police. It would also have caused much discomfiture to spectators and they were expected to walk a long distance.

The bridge, on the southern side of the stadium, is meant for spectators to go to the other side of the road after parking their vehicles for entering the stadium.

New Delhi, September 25
Four new foot overbridges constructed at different locations, including the one at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the special park and ride facility at Safdarjung Airport for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) were inaugurated today in the city.

However, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who was supposed to inaugurate the projects did not turn up for the ceremony and New Delhi Municipal Corporation of Delhi (NDMC) vice-chairperson Tajdar Babbar and other NDMC members unveiled the four projects.

The park and ride facility at Safdarjung was developed for the vehicles destined for the JN Stadium during the Games. The total parking area of 1,70,000 sq m will accommodate 3,000 cars, 6,000 two-wheelers and 450 buses and includes boarding, alighting and circulation area, said NDMC officials.

The project, which was completed in 10 months, also includes public information centre, security chambers, separate waiting hall for public and crew, frisking hall and public convenience units. Close-circuit TVs and security equipment have also been installed.

The three foot overbridges have been set up on Mother Teresa Crescent, Africa Avenue and Park Street in front of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

"The design of FoB on Mother Teresa Crescent has been kept simple in view of its proximity to the Presidential Estate. Constructed at a cost of Rs 4.65 crore, it has both escalators and staircases," an official said.

The FoB is situated near Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Aquatic Stadium which will hold the swimming events of the Games.

"The foot overbridge on Park Street is the first of its kind in Delhi which has got escalators, lifts and staircase. It has been completed in 10 months at a cost of Rs 5.62 crore," the official said. It is located near Talkatora Indoor Stadium.

The foot overbridge on Africa Avenue has been built at a cost of Rs 4.34 crore and boasts of a unique design. It is situated near Sarojini Nagar Bus Depot.

While, the FoB at Bhishma Pitamah Marg near JN Stadium towards Sai Baba temple was inaugurated by the Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Vijay Kumar Malhotra. The FoB, which is an MCD project, has lifts and staircases.

New Delhi, September 25
As monsoon floods leave pools of stagnant water, marshy areas, filth and garbage at many places in Delhi, the dengue menace continued its dangerous march with as many as 93 more persons testing positive for the vector-borne disease today.

According to the authorities, there is a real danger that this year's dengue numbers may cross the recent record of 3,366 cases that Delhi had totted up in 2006. The data available with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi shows that so far, 2,821 persons have been infected with the dengue virus. And if the disease continues to spread at this pace, it would cross the 2006 record in a week, if not earlier.

"We have been relentless in our campaign against dengue in the last few days. We are carrying out fogging at almost all possible places, but the problem is that the present weather is very conducive for the breeding of dengue mosquitoes and conditions have to change for our campaign to be successful," an MCD official said.

However, a section of officials said their resources were mostly concentrated in and around the Games Village near Akshardham Temple besides the 17 Games venues. The possibility of foreign athletes catching dengue could be a public relation nightmare for the Games whose negative publicity has already frightened top athletes, forcing them to withdraw on health and security reasons.

Dengue has claimed five lives in Delhi so far, and much to everyone's surprise, it is most rampant in south Delhi, which has some of city's most high-profile addresses. Records say the zone has reported 429 cases followed by the Civil Lines locality with 367 cases and Rohini zone with 339 cases.

The Delhi government has blamed lackadaisical attitude of the MCD for the widening net of the disease as the civic agency is responsible for the sanitation and anti-mosquito-breeding measures. However, MCD claims that the government's failure in clearing millions of tonnes of debris left behind by the constructions done for the Games is the biggest reason for the spurt in dengue this year.

New Delhi, September 25
It is not only hundreds of hotels and guesthouses owners who have reasons to feel cheated at the poor response of tourists to the Commonwealth Games as they invested lots of money on the prodding of government which had claimed that tens of thousands of tourists would be visiting the city to witnesses the mega sporting event.

Thousands of Delhi University students who were denied entry into their hostels because authorities wanted to renovate them to welcome guests feel the same as the guests are hardly coming while the Games draw near. If DU officials are to be believed, few foreign guests have come.

Official sources from Hindu College and Ramjas College said they have not received a single foreign guest and it would not be a surprise if their refurbished rooms remain vacant.

CWG organisers, led by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and its Organising Committee president Suresh Kalmadi, had been boasting that more than a lakh tourists would visit the city to watch the carnival and pushed DU besides hotels and guesthouse owners into redoing their accommodations.

Close to 2,700 rooms in some of the leading college hostels like St Stephen's, Hindu, Kirori Mal were done up with investment of crore of rupees. The project was funded by the human resource development ministry and the real sufferers were thousands of students who were forced to put up at expensive private accommodations.

DU officials said they have not heard anything from the Games organisers regarding the arrival of any guests.

"It is now obvious that their projections were not based on any calculation. And the negative publicity the Games has received in the last few days, I don't think many foreigners would be keen on coming. There is this danger of dengue and they are also very security-conscious. Besides, some of top athletes have withdrawn so there is not much attraction left," a DU official said.

However, the authorities are not complaining. The hostels have been refurbished at the expenditure of the Union ministry, which would in normal circumstances would not be so forthcoming in giving money. "The students are nconvenienced, but would be the happiest when they come back to their refurbished rooms ," he said.

New Delhi, September 25
The Delhi police has arrested a man for allegedly extorting Rs 60 lakh from the family of a 17-year-old girl.

The accused Prabhjot Singh of the Moti Nagar area in Delhi had allegedly kidnapped the girl, Simran (name changed), and then extorted money from her family.

Simran's father Malkiyat Singh filed against a complaint against Prabhjot Singh on Friday.

Malkiyat Singh told the police that Simran who studies in B.Sc first year went for college as usual, but did not reach there. Besides, he allegedly received a text message on his mobile phone, in which it was stated that his daughter had been kidnapped and he would have to pay a ransom of Rs 60 lakh for her release.

The kidnappers allegedly threatened Singh that they would kill the girl, if they did not get the money.

The police learnt that Prabhjot Singh, who used to live in the complainant's neighbourhood, was missing.

He was seen in the Kirti Nagar area. The police raided all probable hideouts.

The accused was apprehended near the Moti Nagar Metro station and the girl was rescued.

Prabhjot Singh, who is pursuing BCA in the city, revealed that he committed the act as he always wanted to go abroad after finishing his studies. He wanted to become a millionaire and settle in London.

While in Delhi, the accused met Simran and befriended her. Knowing that Simran came from a business family, he decided to kidnap her and extort money from her parents, a senior police official said. Besides, he was confident that if he was caught, Simran would support him as she liked him, the official added.

New Delhi, September 25
Two policemen on motorcycle, driving on the wrong side of the road, brutally beat up two bike-borne brothers in the Seemapuri area of northeast Delhi last night.

According to information, the brothers who have been hospitalized with head and body injuries are recuperating at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital even as a case has been lodged against them on charges of assaulting a public servant.

The incident was reported around 10 pm when Anil (34) and his brother Arun (26) were on their way home when their bike collided with that of two cops.

"The incident took place near the red lights at Dilshad Garden Chowk. The policemen were coming from the wrong side and hit the motorcycle of the boys. There was some argument with the policemen who then started beating our children. There were four other policemen who joined the two in beating," said one of the relatives of brothers in a complaint at the police station.

According to information, Anil has been hit by a rod in the head and is recuperating at the GTB Hospital. Arun too has received injuries on his shoulder and stomach. Anil is an executive with a real estate company in Noida.

Gt Noida, September 25
The additional district magistrate (Land) of Yamuna Expressway Authority, Surinder Ram, has once again been arraigned in a case of fraudulent payment of land compensation.

The officer had released the compensation in spite of a stay order passed by the High Court in the matter, it is alleged.

According to the case, a notice had been sent by the Yamuna Expressway Authority to Dharampal, a resident of Gunupura in Dankore, for acquiring his land.

Meanwhile, a dispute arose between Dharampal and one Sinh Raj about the land. Both sent in their applications to receive the compensation of `5.10 crore.

However, Dharampal obtained a stay order from the High Court in the matter.

According to Dharampal's lawyer, Lalit Mohan Gupta, no party could be paid land compensation in view of the High Court's stay order. Gupta accused the additional district magistrate (Land) of having got Sinh Raj's file readied.

Lalit Mohan said Sinh Raj had bribed the ADM for the release of land compensation.

Dharampal had moved the district court in this connection. The court has ordered the Kasna police to register a case against ADM Surinder Ram.

The police station had registered two similar cases against the ADM earlier also.

One of these two cases pertained to fraudulent payment of `2.10 crore to some other person for the land which belonged to one Yashpal of Mirzapura in Rabupura.

The second case pertained to land belonging to Yashpal's sister-in-law.

New Delhi, September 25
Flood threat in Delhi receded as water level in the Yamuna started going down today, days after many homes were inundated in the Capital, an official said.

"The water level is expected to recede further during the day," said an official of the flood department.

This has come as a respite for the residents of low-lying areas along the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi, who have been living in flooded homes or under the flood threat. The reversal of drainage water and overflowing Yamuna caused severe waterlogging in these areas. Many low-lying areas were inundated and people in areas like Mukherjee Nagar and Civil Lines even used boats for plying.

The Yamuna started receding even though the river was flowing well above the danger mark of 204.83 metres. The water level, which crossed 207 metre, reached 206.10 metres this morning. — IANS

Faridabad, September 25
In view of the upcoming Commonwealth Games, the Haryana police has inducted 200 police personnel in Faridabad district police and stationed two companies of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB). The mega-sports event is scheduled to start on October 3.

Besides, the authorities have drawn elaborate traffic plans, including regulating vehicular movement and changing routes leading to Delhi. Vehicles would not be allowed to Delhi via the Tuglakabad shooting range from 6 am to 7 pm during the Games. In stead, commuters will have to take the Badarpur route.

Faridabad police commissioner P.K. Aggarwal said one platoon of commandoes from the Haryana police has also been requisitioned. Its members would act as 'crack unit' at the time of any contingency during the Games.

Aggarwal said 200 personnel have been added to the constabulary of the Faridabad police, of which 115 have already reported for duty.

The government has provided the extra manpower as a permanent arrangement in view of shortage of personnel in the district.

The replenishment of the district police force has come at a good time. Although the Games will not be held in Faridabad, the police here has geared itself to guard the national Capital's vicinity. In fact, the local police has already had dress rehearsals with its counterparts in Delhi.

Much of the arrangements were made in alignment to the security arrangements in Delhi.

However, as Faridabad is near the Karni Singh Stadium in Delhi which would host one of the events, a decision has been taken at the national level to create a parking space in this district.

The area where parking space was created for the last Surajkund Crafts Mela has been identified for the purpose.

Anyone visiting the stadium as a spectator to the event will have to park his vehicle in this parking area.

Fogging being carried out near the Indira Gandhi Stadium, one of the venues of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi on Saturday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal

The buzz is that in a recent meeting to overview the CWG works, cabinet secretary K.M. Chandrashekhar read out the joke to Kalmadi. All he could offer was a sheepish grin. Outside, he has been busy telling anyone who still listens to his excuses that he does not bother about the all-round condemnation of his work. "Those who work should be ready to face criticism," he tells his aides nonchalantly.

Don't blame the toiling lot

Workers have been blamed for the filth at the Games Village with accusations being hurled at them that they used toilets meant for athletes and slept on their beds. However, it seems there is another side to the story. Some officials, who believe the blame lies with their bosses and not these poor labourers, say no alternative arrangements were made for the workers toiling at the Village and organisers' most pressing concern was that all basic works, like construction, plumbing and electricity, be finished on time. Cleanliness at the Village was the last thing on their minds, they say. "Workers were encouraged to put in long hours and it was natural that they would use the facilities available there. When it was happening, nobody bothered and now they are being blamed for the rot," an official said.

Baptism by fire

The charm and joy of joining Delhi police for the 6,000 constables, who were recruited to meet the enhanced security need for the Games, is fading off rather too soon. Their inordinately long duty in connection with the Games combined with the usual drill is telling upon many of them. With the Games about to kick off, the preliminary security drills and duties are stretching to about 12 hours and they also have to spend a lot of time commuting. There is little time to rest, forget about enjoying their new-found 'khaki' status.

"We had heard that policing duty is hard and not bound by a time frame like other government jobs. But it's a bit too much. We have to stand stationary on a spot for hours daily," complained a group of constables posted at some distance from the Games Village.

A sympathetic senior official quipped that this is what they mean by "baptism by fire".

Puja pandal owners worried

The last couple of days of the Games to be held between October 3 and 14 will overlap with the Durga Puja celebrations beginning on October 13. Many pandal owners and resident associations are worried that there may be restrictions on some aspects of the function during the first two days of the puja.

Different communities and resident associations across the Capital put up pandals and invite friends and family for celebrations.

Traffic congestion on roads and loud music are common features at places hosting the celebrations. The organisers are planning to join hands and take up the matter with the authorities.

"We think that we would be asked to limit the timings and restrict parking facilities during the first few days," says Shubhojeet Chatterjee, secretary of Resident Welfare Association, Chittaranjan Park.

(Contributed by Kumar Rakesh, Sandeep Yadav and Jyoti Rai)

New Delhi, September 25
The Delhi police yesterday arrested three criminals allegedly involved in circulation of counterfeit Indian currency in Delhi and NCR.

Fake currency of Rs 1.6 lakh was recovered from them, the police said today.

The accused have been identified as Shankar Singh (35), Shakeel Ahmed (45) and Rahul Pal (24).

The police received a tip-off that three members of the gang will exchange fake currency in the fruit and vegetable market of Sewa Nagar.

A decoy customer was sent to the accused and they were arrested after the negotiations.

Fake notes of Rs 65,000 were seized from their possession and the remaining notes, which were in the denomination of Rs 1000, Rs 500 and Rs 100, were recovered from their tented house.

Ahmed, the kingpin of the gang, provided logistics and other technical equipment to Singh who used to print the notes. Pal's job was to look for customers and deliver the counterfeit currency, said police officials.

The accused revealed that they generally targeted small shopkeepers and traders.

They kept changing the area of circulation of counterfeit notes.