Race against Time claimed one more life at CWG Village

The race to complete Commonwealth Games venues on time took another life on Thursday night when a 23-year-old construction worker died at a DDA mega housing project in Vasant Kunj. Nakimuddin Ahmad fell from the seventh floor of the under-construction building, his head hitting the iron scaffolding put up around the building three floors down. He died of the injuries to his head, said police.

Laborers at the construction site said they are hard pressed to meet deadlines and are working in shifts. ‘‘We have been asked to speed up work and several safety measures are being overlooked,” said Meer Hul, one of the workers. The Rs 200 crore, 10-storey project, which will have nearly 3,000 flats, is being built by Brahmaputra Infrastructure Limited. The flats will house Games participants.

Police said Ahmad had been standing on the seventh floor, using a trolley to lift bags of sand from the ground floor.

‘‘It was about 8pm and the contractor had provided no lights to work under. Nor did Ahmad have a safety belt. Ahmad was picking up the bags from the trolley when it fell, dragging him down with it,” said a senior police officer.

He added, ‘‘Another worker who was working on the eighth floor saw Ahmad falling and rushed to save him but by the time he got there, Ahmad was dead,” added the police officer.

Ahmad’s elder brother Zakir Hussain, who works as a supplier at the site, said, ‘‘My brother came to Delhi three months ago. We have all been working hard to finish the project on time. There is very few safety measures observed during construction.” Ahmad, a native of West Bengal, is survived by his parents and a sister. He was paid a daily wage of Rs 125.

Police said they have registered a case of death due to negligence against the contractor and are investigating the matter.

When contacted, the project manager of the housing project, Satish Pal Singh, told Times City, ‘‘I am out of town but will get back to you soon.” Despite repeated efforts, officials at the office of the construction company refused to make a statement.

YSC to Have Double Tin Walls For Security Purposes

To strengthen security for the Commonwealth Games, twin rings of tin sheets are likely to be put up along the Yamuna Sports Complex - one of the venues for the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2010. The proposal, though in its incipient stages, plans to install along the stadium’s periphery a pair of tin sheets — running parallel to each other — with sand packed in between. The pair of tin sheets, sandwiched with sand, will act as a bullet-resistant cordon around the stadium.

The final decision on this, however, is yet to be taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs, MHA. According to sources, samples of different sheets have been put up at the Yamuna Vihar Sports Complex. According to the proposal, the pair of tin sheets would line the grills around the stadium. “We have presented the plan to the organizing committee of the Commonwealth Games in the MHA and their final nod is still pending,” a senior Delhi police officer said.

“Meanwhile, we have invited manufacturers to showcase their products and a few have been put up at the Yamuna Sports Complex for scrutiny.” Sources said there was a plan earlier to construct a 2.8-metre high wall around the Sports Complex. But it was dropped considering the forbidding cost and the inevitable cutting down of trees, they said.

“Construction of a wall would be more time-consuming and costly. Moreover, we would have to cut trees surrounding the fencing. Not only are these sheets cost effective, they can also be sold for more than half the price after the Games are over,” a highly-placed source said.

Sample Flats for Commonwealth Games Unveiled by Tourism Minister

Tourism minister Kumari Selja inspects the interior of a DDA flat in Vasant Kunj

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) unveiled its sample "hotel" flat for the Commonwealth Games 2010 on Thursday. The flats, which are meant to buffer the shortage of accommodation for tourists that the city may face during the Games, will be handed over to the ministry of tourism in March 2010.

Unveiling the upgraded and furnished DDA flat, tourism minister Kumari Selja said the flat is part of the Alternative Accommodation Scheme for Commonwealth Games 2010 to bridge the shortage of rooms. The tourism ministry is readying more than 5,000 rooms in the DDA flats for the biggest sporting event in the country next year.

Furnishing these rooms at an estimated cost of about Rs 100 crores, there would be 2,709 flats with 5,009 rooms in Vasant Kunj ready before the Games. Flats in different categories are to be upgraded and furnished at par with three-star standard by the Indian Tourism Development Corporation. Selja added that the flats would be ready by ITDC for use much ahead of the Games.

Besides Vasant Kunj flats, there are 330 flats at Jasola which could be used for domestic budget travellers, supporting staff and volunteers of the Games. The tourism ministry is monitoring the requirement for accommodation for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, 2010 being held in Delhi.

The flats incidentally would be later sold off by the DDA as part of its housing scheme once the Games are over. On Thursday, Selja held a meeting with the representative of state governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, all land owning agencies and other stakeholders to take stock of the progress made in respect of various segments of accommodation for the major sporting event. A task force has also been constituted to review and monitor all the hotel projects that are coming up for the Commonwealth Games.

While reviewing the progress of work relating to the new hotel projects she advised the different agencies that each room needs to be accounted for and therefore all concerned agencies should closely review and monitor the Commonwealth Games projects.

As regards the proposal to use licensed guesthouses during the Games, Selja laid stress on the beautification and up-gradation of the surrounding areas by Delhi government as this would be an important factor for overall improvement of the guesthouses.

Games Village-Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

As the time of Commonwealth games is coming closer and closer, Government of Delhi is speeding up its work to develop sports venues and infrastructure work to keep itself prepared well in advance before this mega event. India has already hosted Asian Games two times earlier, but the country has never hosted the Commonwealth Games. The organizing committee along with Government of Delhi is striving hard to make the capital city of India into a well-organized and fully equipped city for the upcoming games.

It is certain that 2010 Commonwealth Games will attract large number of athletes and officials. To accommodate these guests during the Games, establishment of New Delhi Games village is in process. The site is located perfectly in the centre of the city near the major landmarks of the city including Humayun Tomb, Bahai Temple and Akshardham. The village is located on the banks of holy River Yamuna and the dense green cover in the surroundings will provide a soothing and pleasing environment for the athletes.

The village is constructed over an area of 63.5 hectares under the guidance of Delhi Development Authority (DDA). It is estimated that the place can easily accommodate 8500 athletes and their supporting staff. The construction work is likely to be completed by December 2009 as per the official projections.

The cost involved in the construction is solely the responsibility of Government of India. Games village will be full equipped with all modular facilities so that the Athletes and their supporting staff can get ultimate comfort and remember the games as well as the facilities for a long-long time.