|
|
|
|
OC’s last-minute works affecting security: Cops
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Rush to buy CWG tickets
as Delhi gets ready
Speed limit applies to vehicles in Games lanes also
Performers can use dedicated lanes on opening day
Police station for foreigners
in bad shape
Village ready and livable: Dikshit
Train showcasing CWG history back in Delhi
Noida hotel not Games-ready
Seven Delhi monuments to spell
splendour for Games
Games-themed artworks decorate Metro stations
’84 riots: Evidence of prime witness concludes
Bomb scare in Noida mkt
Check wasteful expenditure on buses: Lokayukta urges LG
|
|
OC’s last-minute works affecting security: Cops
New Delhi, September 29 The top brass of the Delhi police has made its displeasure clear to the central authorities. Last-minute facelift activities like fixing electric bulbs and signages and placing flower pots inside various venues involve hundreds of workers going in and out of these places. Police sources say they have been forced to enforce their measures in parts and a joint-commissioner associated with CWG security has blamed the inefficiency of the OC for this. According to the joint-commissioner, the police is anyway not happy with the late handover of the venues to it and has already told the top bosses of the OC that the ongoing facelift work is creating unnecessary pressure on the security forces manning the venues and so it should stop soon. "They had seven-eight years to finish these works. Now that we have taken over the security and athletes are already in the city, no security force would like unwanted people going in and out of the venues. We have asked the OC to do away with this nonsense," said the officer on the condition of anonymity, adding that some construction work was on at the Games Village till yesterday and the raw material for it was brought from outside. According to information, officers in-charge of different venues are complaining against the ongoing work at their daily morning meetings at the police headquarters. "The commissioner of police has brought these complaints to the knowledge of the home ministry as well," said the officer. According to information, the OC wanted to rope in cops even at the construction stage, but was categorically refuted by the Delhi police. "We gave them the broad security guidelines regarding the constructions in and around the stadiums. But they wanted us to sit there and monitor the work as well, which we refused, as we have neither extra men nor time for this," the officer revealed. Meanwhile, the Delhi police is confident that the Games would be organised without any untoward incident. "You think the OC will be able to organise the Games itself. They have already shown how capable they are. It was the Delhi police which organised the Asiad in 1982 and it is again the Delhi police at the forefront in 2010," said the confident officer.
|
|
Rush to buy CWG tickets
as Delhi gets ready
New Delhi, September 29 With the foreign athletes and tourists already arriving in Delhi and the controversies surrounding the games taking a backseat, people are trying to book their seats for the sporting events. The fact that the city is wearing an all-new look of Games with banner and poster along the routes of the stadiums and venues is helping generate the interest of the public in the games. The Central Bank of India at Parliament Street sold more than 1000 tickets in a single day today, including both direct sales and vouchers. "The sale of tickets has suddenly picked up momentum. We have been observing a huge rush of people for tickets," said a source in the Organising Committee (OC). However, many had to return disappointed as tickets for the opening ceremony in the domain of Rs 1,000 and 5,000 have already been exhausted. Sources said that some 300 tickets of Rs 5,000 were released by the OC recently, which were sold in 15 minutes. "They (OC) keep releasing tickets in parts. Recently some around 300 tickets of Rs 5,000 were opened on the net, but it took only 15 minutes for them to get sold out," said one the sources. The organisers had launched four domains for the tickets of opening ceremonies: Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000. The tickets are available at 19 Central bank of India branches, seven Hero Honda branches, one IRCTC, Dilli Haat INA, IGI airport and Select City Walk, Saket. The tickets for the closing ceremony have also seen a great deal of interest by the people. The tickets are priced at Rs 750, Rs 4000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000. The sources said that the Rs 4,000 tickets for the closing event were exhausted in the morning. Apart from the ceremonies, the second most popular event among the Delhi'ites is the India-Pakistan hockey match, which was the first sporting event that was declared houseful soon after its launch. The match is in the second half of October 10. However, the ticket sales from venue box offices will only be available during phase-III, which will start from October 2. At the venue box office, people would be able to buy tickets as well as redeem confirmation vouchers purchased earlier. |
|
Speed limit applies to vehicles in Games lanes also
New Delhi, September 29 The officer said some incidents of violation of speed limit on Games lanes had come to light and the traffic police had been instructed to take action against the errant drivers. "Vehicles on the Games lanes have to ply according to the speed limit on city roads. Some cases of violations have come to light. One or two accidents have also taken place," Chadha said when asked by media whether speed limit applied on vehicles on Games duty also. He was speaking on the sidelines of a function to induct around 700 volunteers for traffic regulation during the Games. In an accident on the Commonwealth Games lane on Sardar Patel Marg this morning, a pedestrian suffered minor injuries when a Games car hit him while returning from airport. A case has been registered in this regard.
Chadda also said that people could face arrest for straying into Games lanes and a notification under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code had been promulgated. "Plying on Games lanes is prohibited. Even if someone parks his/her vehicle on a road which has a Games lane, he/she will face arrest as the vehicle will be blocking traffic," Chadha clarified. Speaking at the function, he said around 1,500 volunteers, including 600 from Nirankari
Mandal, will help the traffic police in regulating traffic from October 1 till the end of the Games. "We had issued appeals for volunteers through social networking sites like
Facebook. We got a tremendous response. If this system of using volunteers is successful, we could think of extending it beyond the Games also," said the officer. The volunteers will not be paid any honorarium, but will be given a certificate of participation. |
|
|
Performers can use dedicated lanes on opening day
New Delhi, September 29 The GoM decided to issue special passes to buses which will carry performers to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for the opening ceremony so that they could also use dedicated lanes meant for Commonwealth Games athletes and officials. Hundreds of performers are training at the stadium and would be ferried in scores of buses on the opening day as it is apprehended that if not allowed to use the lanes, they could get stuck in traffic jams and might not reach in time. |
|
Police station for foreigners
in bad shape
New Delhi, September 29 The police station was opened with to provide assistance to foriegn tourists but it is in a very bad shape. The building is quite old and so are the walls which have not been painted for years. The building is in such a bad state that planks and bricks have been used to prevent the lintel from falling down. "This is a very old building. When the government announced that it would the police station for tourists, we thought something would be done to improve its infrastructure. But nothing was done. Just the board outside the main gate was changed," said Ritesh Verma, a resident of the area. "The police station is very shabby and dirty. The government has spent so much to improve the look of the city but what image will the station throw on hundreds of foeign tourists who would be visiting the city for the upcoming CWG", questioned Sanjoy Sachdeva, a social activist. Earlier, both Nabi Karim and Paharganj police stations worked in the same building. While Paharganj shifted a few months back, Nabi Karim police station shifted a week back. Broken furnitures, papers and boxes are kept outside the station like lost objects. A police official informed, "These things belong to the Nabi Karim police station. They shifted a few days back. However, some of their stuff is still to be shifted." This is not the end to the problems. Surprisingly, the station does not even have a landline phone. "We have written an application demanding a landline connection for the station. It is definitely creating a problem, as it is a genuine need," said Station House Officer, Paharganj East Hari Mohan Singh Chauhan. Meanwhile, a source said the station does not have benches and chairs to sit. "There are five or six wooden chairs that too in a very poor state." Till now, two cases have been registered in the station, none by foreign nationals. |
|
Village ready and livable: Dikshit
New Delhi, September 29 Dikshit, who was directed by the Union government to get the "filthy and unlivable" Village cleaned, said, "for the first time, I am feeling very satisfied." Dikshit said all the lifts at the Village were working now and there was no reason to complain. The facilities at the Village have also invited praises from quite a few guests. The chef-de-mission of British Virgin Islands, a British territory which sends its own team for the CWG, said the Village was better than the one at Melbourne, where the last Games took place. "Facilities are very good. We have no reason to complain," he told officials of the CWG's organising committee (OC). Sports minister M.S. Gill and OC head Suresh Kalmadi also visited the Village and interacted with athletes. They also said that they were satisfied with the status of the Village. Gill said he spent a couple of hours in the Village and spoke to members of 13 teams and they all said that they felt comfortable there. However, the work of pumping out water from the basement of the Village is still not complete and this has sparked off health concerns among the contingents. The water got collected in the basement due to seepages during rains. But chief secretary Rakesh Mehra has assured that the pumping out of water would be completed soon.
|
|
Train showcasing CWG history back in Delhi
New Delhi, September 29 The Commonwealth Express has attracted more than seven lakh visitors during its three-month journey across the country. The purpose of the train was to spread awareness about sports, coinciding with the XIX Commonwealth Games, and also about information technology among the masses and the youth, in particular. "The train will be stationed at Delhi's Pragati Maidan station for public view from September 29 to October 14, the day the Games come to a close," said a railway official. The train has so far travelled to 47 places, including Ajmer, Agra, Jhansi, Gandhinagar, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Mysore Thiruvananthapuram, Madurai, Chennai, Mancheswar, Raipur, Dhanbad, Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri, Gaya, Patna Varanasi, Lucknow, Una, Haridwar, Chandigarh, Ambala, Patiala, Udhampur, Jalandhar, Amritsar and other places since its inauguration on June 24, 2010 at Delhi by minister of railways Mamata Banerjee. The first stop of the train was at Amritsar on June 25 that coincided with the arrival of the Queen's Baton for the Commonwealth Games. The itinerary of this train was planned in such a way that the arrival of the train at a particular place also coincided with that of the Queen's Baton. This train consists of 11 coaches out of which five coaches have been allocated to Railway Sports Promotion Board to showcase the history of Commonwealth Games; give details of the venues of the events to be held in Delhi; spread awareness about different sports; and give publicity to the sports icons who have brought laurels to the country. Besides, one coach is exclusively dedicated to the Railway Sports Promotion Board to showcase its history and activities as well as the achievements of railway sportspersons at national and international levels. In the remaining six coaches, the Department of Information & Technology has highlighted the achievements of the country in information and communication technology, including those relevant to rural India.
|
|
Noida hotel not Games-ready
Greater Noida, Sept 29 Radisson Hotel resident manager Jaydeep Chakrabarti said, "We have written to the Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee expressing inability to provide rooms during the Games as the project could not be completed on time." "Our 13 floors having 175 rooms and 21 suites were almost ready. Only interior finishing was left which would have completed before the Games. Even basement was furnished. We had deployed till now around 150 employees to make the hotel functional," he added. "Two days ago, rainwater filled the basement as sewers flowed back. It has caused damage to the tune of Rs 50 lakh," pointed out the manager. Chakrabarti took this correspondent to the basement where all the floorings and walls were damaged in rains. Workers were still dewatering the premises. Generators, AC chamber room and electrical panels at the basement were found wet. High-tension wires were wet. Electrical engineers were working to repair the damaged panels. "When we complain to Greater Noida Authority, they claim that the area is under Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC). UPSIDC officers were insensitive. We had to deploy two dewatering pumps during the last two days and get the water pumped out," said Chakrabarti. UPSIDC regional manager Santosh Kumar said, "As the Yamuna level was higher, the irrigation department had plugged all the drains outlets from the city to stop flood water from entering the city. The drain water reversed and caused backflow inundating the hotel site and other areas. Even this morning, the Yamuna level was at higher level." "The hotel allotment was done with a promise that it would be operational before the Games. The management had given an affidavit to this effect," said Kumar. Greater Noida Udyog Vyapar Mandal president Ravi Bansal said, "The Kasna site where the hotel is located is in the low-lying area. It is the oldest industrial sectors. The area is still under UPSIDC. There is no proper outlet of drains and UPSIDC has not made any arrangement to solve the problem." |
|
Seven Delhi monuments to spell
splendour for Games
New Delhi, September 29 The inaugural ceremony took place at the Khan-e-Khana tomb at Nizamuddin. The illuminated monuments will provide for an excellent view at night, especially for people driving on the elevated stretch on Barapullah Nullah. They will get a splendid view of Humayun and Khan-e-Khana tombs as well as the Neela Gumbad. "The tomb of Khan-e-Khana is of Abdur Rahim, who was the son of Biaram Khan, the companion and general of Humayun," explained ITDC spokesperson while speaking at the function. Under the "mega destination development scheme", the ministry of tourism asked ITDC to illuminate a total of 13 identified ASI monuments in the city. Last year, ITDC had completed illumination work of four monuments consisting of Sher Shah Gate, Purana Quila, Subj Burj and Safdarjung Tomb. The illumination was inaugurated by minister of tourism Kumari Selja. The monuments illuminated include Khan-e-Khana (Nizamuddin), Bara Khamba, Dadi Poti, Chotti Ghumti, Sikri Ghumti, Biran Ka Gumbad and Lal Darwaja. "We have employed the state-of-the-art technology to bathe monuments with lights from top to bottom. Wide and narrow beam precision floodlights with metal highlights have been used for illumination," said Ravi Pandit, vice-president, Engineering Department, ITDC. "The illumination will get intensified after 11 pm. That is when the monuments will look their best. Along with Khan-e-Khana, other six monuments will be lighted simultaneously," he added. Noticeably, the illumination process for just seven monuments has taken more than one and a half years now. The engineers at ITDC blame it on the repeated tenders by ASI that delayed the process. "Much more could have been done. The delay was not at the execution level, but at the stage of delivery of tenders," said another ITDC official. |
|
Games-themed artworks decorate Metro stations
New Delhi, September 29 The Jawaharal Nehru Stadium station, which is the station for the main stadium, -- the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) -- falls on this line. To give the corridor a distinct look which will display the true spirit of the Games, the DMRC has decorated the Central Secretariat, Khan Market and Jangpura stations with special murals, drawings and ceramic artworks. Specially designed tile artworks with three dimensional effect have been done on the walls of the concourse area at the JLN station and the theme of the artworks on the 163-metre-long concrete walls on both sides of the concourse area has been derived from the various sports included in the Games like gymnastics, swimming, wrestling, athletics etc. These sports have been depicted through stylised pictograms created on the tiles. A harmonious colour scheme in beige, rust and deep red has been used for optimal effect. The artwork on these hand-made ceramic tiles has been done by using 'water jet cutting technology', wherein it is possible to cut even very hard tiles to create precise and fine patterns. The artwork matches the overall ambience of the station. The CWG mascot 'Shera' has also been prominently displayed in the artwork. Beside this, 16 panels have been displayed at the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium station to brief the commuters and visitors about the genesis of the Delhi Metro. At the Central Secretariat (CTST) station, two thematic modern artworks titled "You are Here…" and "Illusion" have been created at the concourse and platform levels of the station. "You are Here…" takes inspiration from the Delhi Metro network map and interprets it in a futuristic manner using mirrors giving the viewer a feeling of being at various places all at once. As the mirrors catch reflections from various angles, the viewer, while waiting in transit, is engaged in a manner as if he/she was in a kind of time travel adventure. "Illusions" offer a sweet surprise introducing the commuter to the illusion of a world beyond. The hand-drawn sketches transformed into digital technique with vibrant color effects and computer generated printing of surfaces at the Khan Market and Jangpura stations reflect a very different kind of work conveying unspoken and unwritten messages about upholding the spirit of the international games.
|
|
’84 riots: Evidence of prime witness concludes
New Delhi, September 29 Kaur deposed before additional sessions judge Sunita Gupta that Sajjan addressed a meeting and instigated the mob. "I had seen Sajjan telling a crowd that 'Sikh sala ek nahi bachna chahiye. Jo Hindu Sikhon ko panah deta hai unke bhi ghar jala do'," deposed Kaur while recording her statement against Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case registered with the Delhi Cantonment police station for the 17th day today. Kaur lost her husband, who was in the army, her son and three brothers in the riots. She has been in and out of the city on each hearing. Earlier during her evidence, she stated, "I myself saw Balwant Khokkar, Sajjan's nephew killing Sikhs in the carnage." On May 28, charges were framed against Kumar besides Balwan Khokhar, Krishan Khokhar, Mahender Yadav, Captain Bhagmal and Girdhari Lal under various sections of IPC relating to murder, criminal conspiracy and spreading enmity between the two communities. The CBI had accused Kumar of provoking people against members of a particular community during the carnage, leading to the killing of five persons in the Delhi Cantonment area. In his defence, Kumar had claimed before the lower court that the accounts of CBI witnesses were not reliable as they had changed their versions a number of times.
|
|
Bomb scare in Noida mkt
Noida, September 29 "Immediately after the briefcase was spotted, all the residents and shopkeepers of the area were moved out and a bomb disposal squad was called in. The team along with sniffer dogs soon reached the site. However, when the squad opened the briefcase, no explosive was found in it. The suitcase only had some clothes. It seems somebody accidentally left the bag t," said R.N. Mishra, deputy superintendent of police. |
|
Check wasteful expenditure on buses: Lokayukta urges LG
New Delhi, September 29 The Lokayukta said that a difference of Rs 24 lakh between the low floor and semi-low floor buses is a matter of concern. These buses are contrary to the government's claim that they would be handicapped-friendly. This money could have been used in providing facilities for education, health, proper sanitation, etc. Jolly said in its order the Lokayukta pointed out that introducing the low-floor buses on Delhi potholed roads was a questionable official decision. The Lokayukta also took objection to the arbitrary spending of money from the government exchequer to pay the exorbitant legal fees in order to defend the case, Jolly said. The Lokayukta urged the Lieutenant Governor to look into the matter and formulate an optimum policy for the future. Jolly said the Lokayukta rejected the plea of the government to prosecute him for raising the matter. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Classified Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
As a part of heritage conservation project undertaken by the Delhi government for the Commonwealth Games, Indian tourism Development Corporation today illuminated seven monuments in the Capital today.
