Before November end 3 more flyovers in Delhi

There are many cities in India which have metaphoric name like pink city, Jaipur. On the same pattern it would be better to call Delhi as the “city of flyovers”, because you can get a flyover on every kilometer in Delhi. Now to make symbolism more strong, city is going to add 3 more flyovers on its roads.

Adding to the city infrastructure ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games here, Delhi Government is set to complete three more flyovers by the end of this month in areas located nearer to the venues of the mega sporting event.

Officials said the flyover at the R R Kohli Marg will be ready for inauguration very soon while the flyovers at Shastri Park and Geeta Colony will be dedicated to the public by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on November 15.

They said the flyover being built at Nelson Mandela Marg would be inaugurated on December 10.

Facing criticism for its tardy preparations for the sporting event, the city Government is now racing against time to complete all the projects linked to it soon and the Chief Minister is now personally monitoring their progress.

I&B ministry shortlists five for CWG coverage

The Information &Broadcasting ministry has short listed five companies for production and coverage of Commonwealth Games 2010. The companies, including Reliance-owned Big and Nimbus, will work in association with international media companies to produce content for the Games.

The companies will be given a request for proposal as the next step in the selection process. I&B ministry sources said international companies with extensive experience in covering major events like Olympics and World Cup have been selected.

Among the short listed companies is Swiss-based International Games Broadcast Services (IGBS), formerly known as DAGBS. This is a joint venture between HBS and IMG Media. While HBS has been host broadcaster to 2002, 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups, IMG Media is a well known sports and media enterprise that has interests in event ownership and management, and has client representation in golf, tennis, European football and action sports.

The second company is Satellite Information Service Live, UK, a consortium of SIS Outside Broadcast and Satellite Services Ltd, is the foremost supplier of television programming and data services to the UK and Ireland betting industry. In addition, it has long-term contracts with other leading broadcasters, such as Sky and ITV, to provide live coverage of news and sports events, including Formula 1 and Rugby World Cup.

The third company to be shortlisted is Nimbus Sports International Pte Ltd, Singapore, in consortium with International Sports Broadcasting, USA (ISB). The lead partner, ISB was formed 10 years ago and has been actively involved in broadcasting for Olympics since 1998. ISB has been producing many sports events for the past 30 years.

Nimbus Communications Ltd, Mumbai, in consortium with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, has also been shortlisted. The fifth in the fray is Big Productions — a division of Reliance Big Broadcasting Private Ltd — in association with Interpublic Marketing Services (Shanghai) Ltd, Beijing branch, and Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc, Japan.

2010 CWG Attracting Foreign Investments

Toshiba Australia invests in India

Toshiba Australia has set its sights on India and will be investing its money in an Australian contingent in the Subcontinent.

It’s all in the name of sport, however, with Toshiba Australia becoming an official Team Partner of the Australian Commonwealth Games team for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, which will run from 3 to 14 October 2010 in locations in and around the Indian capital, New Delhi.

It will be Australia’s biggest ever overseas Commonwealth Games team, with over 600 team members, including around 440 athletes.

There are 17 sports in the 2010 Commonwealth Games: Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby 7s, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.

For the past few years, Toshiba has sponsored the Australian Cyclones Cycling Team and their brand ambassador is multiple World Championship and Olympic medalist, Anna Meares.

“It was a good match,” said Toshiba Australia marketing director, Mariana Thomas, regarding Toshiba Australia’s sponsorship of cycling. “The technology and the mobility of cycling match our products.”

As brand ambassador, Anna Meares has also provided some great brand associations due to her successful and high profile comeback from disaster.

“Anna has been fantastic for us, she’s done all the right things, she’s a fantastic person…her integrity is incredible,” said Thomas. “And from January, having a broken neck, to winning an Olympic silver medal just a few months later is just incredible; she is a very strong person.”
This Commonwealth Games Team Partner sponsorship extends to the entire Australian team however, not only cycling - it gives Toshiba exclusive rights to use the Commonwealth Games logo and imagery in the computers and television categories.

Toshiba’s other recent sporting partnerships include global sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup in 2006, including the Asian qualifying rounds; the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France; and Gold Partnership of the forthcoming World Masters Games, which will be held in Sydney from 10 to 18 October 2009.

Toshiba stated that it will soon start to use the Commonwealth Games association in an advertising campaign highlighting its technology and green credentials with its IT and AV products.

Blueline buses will be Phased Out from July: Delhi Government

Ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Delhi Government has decided to start phasing out of Blueline (often called as blood lines by Delhites) buses from July onwards by replacing them with modern buses over a period of next five months.

The Sheila Dikshit-led Delhi Government had announced last year that it would phase out the buses since witnessing a big public outcry over Blueline buses after being blamed to be involved in a number of road accidents involving several deaths.

Delhi's Transport Minister, Arvinder Singh Lovely, has told media that the phase out of Blueline buses would start from July onwards and would take at least five months to conclude the entire process. Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) would have a fleet of around 5,000 modern buses during the Commonwealth Games.

The government wants to put in place a modern bus fleet ahead of the forthcoming games in the city.

At present, nearly 2,200 Blue line buses are plying on the city's roads. Apart from the existing low floor buses, the city will get another lot of 2,500 vehicles in next couple of months.

The Cabinet has shown 'green signal' to Delhi Transport Corporation to procure 1,000 semi-low floor buses to augment the fleet of modern buses in the national capital.

FICCI Suggests Easy Visa for 2010 CWG Tourists

In order to reach the target of 10 million foreign tourists by 2010, India needs to focus on a visa strategy, tourists' security and upgradation of infrastructure, industry body Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI) has said. In its 13-point agenda, it pointed out that efforts needed to be made to refashion India's image as a safe and secure destination.

Amongst the measures recommended by FICCI are marketing India as a safe destination with tourists being offered adequate security with an active tourist police.

The industry body has underlined the need for visitors to be reassured that India has remained incident free and those areas where any untoward incidents had taken place were "bouncing back" like any other destination in the world.

Need to train personnel and stop untrained con artists, taxi drivers working as tour guides was also a priority. "Tour guides must have proper training, good language and a badge to identify them as approved tour guides," a document released by FICCI said.

Industry has also spoken about targeting short haul distances with economical innovative packages and projecting India as a value for money destination.

Lack of infrastructure like hotels has been the weak link, particularly in the NCR region. India is short by 100,000 rooms while Delhi needs 30,000 rooms ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. There are 90,000 approved rooms in India whereas Beijing alone has 80,000 rooms. Investing in tourism infrastructure by identifying hotel sites, developing guidelines to ease land prices so that more hotel rooms are available in India, especially in the budget category, must be done on priority, FICCI said.

There was also a need to improve civic amenities through the public private partnership model. FICCI recommended that the urban development ministry must identify at least two model cities (tourist centres) as part of a pilot project to boost tourism and development.

It also listed modernisation and upgradation of airport infrastructure and providing 50-60 international gateways as urgent issues.

A long standing demand of the industry has been rationalisation of direct and indirect taxes like road taxes on tourist vehicles, luxury tax on hotels, VAT on food and beverages and sales tax on ATF.

Another recommendation was to develop a visa strategy such as issuing electronic visas, visa free entry for certain target countries and visa on arrival.

2010 Games to be Broadcasted in High Definition

India public broadcaster Doordarshan says it will carry the 2010 Commonwealth Games in HD. The Commonwealth Games broadcasting rules require that the host broadcaster produce an international broadcast feed in HD.

New Delhi, India’s capital city, is the host for the Games (Oct 3-14, 2010) and is reportedly upgrading and modernizing its equipment and will be able to relay HD signals to its own citizens and the outside world. Doordarshan’s Chief Engineer R R Prasad said: “The existing technology at Prasar Bharati is being upgraded. DD is also trying to put at least one high-definition (HD) channel on its DTH (satellite) service to enable screening of the Games.”

But the public broadcaster is on a tight timetable. With barely 18 months to go before the event, Doordarshan is only now considering upgrading its analogue transmitters, and obtaining quotes for an upgrade. New HD studios in Delhi and Mumbai are planned along with improved facilities in Chennai and Kolkata.


Source : http://www.rapidtvnews.com

Sports Minister wants timely help for CWG athletes

Sports Minister MS Gill has asked the national federations to quickly settle contracts with coaches and ensure timely availability of sports and support equipment for the benefit of athletes undergoing training for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The directions were given after a review meeting of the progress of the 'Scheme for Preparation of Teams for Commonwealth Games' and and identification of steps required to further improve the working of this Scheme.

On the basis of feedback received during the meeting, which was attended by office bearers of different federations, officers of Sports Authority of India and Indian Olympic Association, several steps were identified to make the Scheme work more efficiently.

"The Sports Minister has given direction for ensuring that sports and support equipment and consumables are made available in time, contracts with coaches are settled expeditiously, progress of the Scheme be monitored closely and kits to sports persons coming to camps be given without any delay," a release from the Ministry said on Wednesday.

"It was also decided to make available training facilities at non-SAI venues in certain locations like Chennai for Swimming, Hyderabad for Badminton, Pune for Tennis and Shooting etc," it said.

Under the Scheme, which would cost the Government Rs 678 crores, the selection process for identifying about 1300 elite players, in 17 disciplines, 250 coaches (both Indian and foreign), and about 80 supporting personnel (physiotherapists, psychologist, masseurs etc) has been completed.

These elite players will be fully funded by Government, for intensive training of 305 days, in a year, both within, and outside the country. They will also be provided state of art, equipments, training and greater exposure in domestic and international tournaments.

The players will be assessed at regular intervals, through pre-decided monitorable parameters, till their final selection for Commonwealth Games.

The coaching camps for the selected players have commenced at the various centers of Sports Authority of India.

SMSes to Guide People on Traffic Congestion

A slew of measures are also being taken to ensure smooth traffic before, during and after the 2010 Commonwealth Games

To ensure smooth traffic on roads, the Delhi Police has decided to launch a campaign guiding people about traffic congestion and educate them about road laws.

The campaigning will be launched through SMSes, television and radio, asking people to avoid certain routes where congestion is reported.

Traffic rules and regulations will be publicized through banners, hoardings, advertisements in newspapers and televisions, among other means.

“The exercise is an attempt to provide a hassle free journey to the people on city roads,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) S N Shrivastava said.

A slew of measures are also being taken to ensure smooth traffic before, during and after the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

“There will be a huge traffic during the Games. Lots of people will be coming here. A sudden increase in the number of vehicles can lead to serious problems. Considering which we are planning a road-map as to how we can minimize the usage of private vehicles,” he said.

Police is also encouraging people to use public transport than commuting through their own vehicle. This will also be conveyed by SMSes.

“Sending SMSes come easy as most of the people have mobile phones these days. They can read it as per their convenience. People should avoid the use of private vehicles and use Metro or chartered buses instead,” Shrivastava said.

Delhi Police has also installed state-of-the-art modern control room to regulate traffic and nab violators. “We already have intelligent traffic software system in place, which helps us maintain traffic,” he said.

It has also added extra lines to the traffic helpline. “People can actually report traffic jam by calling at our helpline and request for help. They can ask for traffic congestion related queries and report any incident. Soon we plan to extend it through SMSes also,” Shrivastava said.

Though, the traffic helpline is operational for long, the department has yet not received much response on it. “The SMS campaign is to aware people about our initiatives. We expect a better response out of our efforts,” he added.

Accommodation Facilities for Atheletes for Sale After Games

Athlete accommodation to become property investment units

The new apartments build for the purpose of housing the athletes for 2010 Commonwealth Games will become investment opportunities. Over 1,000 new Indian apartments will be ready for the possession of buyers after the Games.

The Games Village is being built by Emaar MGF in Delhi and features 1,168 two to five bedroom units in 34 towers.

They are already being marketed to buyers and will be handed over at the end of the games, with officials already reporting a good response from investors.

Emaar MGF is hoping the towers will become a “landmark address” and will appeal to professionals thanks to their proximity to Delhi’s central business district.

But questions have already been raised about India’s readiness for the event, with BBC News reporting stadium projects have hit delays.

Emaar MGF said: “Apart from catapulting Delhi into the top league as a world class city, the Games Village 2010 will help address the housing demand within the region. “With construction in full swing, the Games Village complex is making rapid progress towards the scheduled deadline of April 2010.”

BBC News also reported Austin Sealey, chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said the country had enough manpower to up the speed of building at key venues.

Shravan Gupta, managing director of Emaar MGF, said the “showcase” Village development would involve the highest design standards.

A low-rise development, the project will be a gated community with a club, swimming pool, library and open landscaping.

Delhi University preparing for 2010 Commonwealth Games

As Delhi University is selected as the venue for Aquatics and Rugby events for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the University has big plans to set up an advanced Aquatics complex and a coaching centre to groom the budding talents for the mega event.

According to the plans the complex will have four pools -- swimming pool, synchronized swimming pool, warm-up pool and diving pool, each equipped with a filtration plant and heating system. The diving pool will have lift for diving tower.

These pools will be developed, keeping in mind the world level standards and would have world class facilities. Various technical organizations have been consulted to effectively implement the plans. The department of Physical Education and Sports, Delhi University has been given the work of proper supervision and implementations. In addition to this, National Institute of Physical Education, Gwalior has also been contacted for providing their expertise in construction of the swimming facilities.

The Delhi University Administration has proposed and earmarked 20 acres of land for the construction of various pools, and got approval from the organizing committee of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The Aquatic Complex proposed would also have fitness centers, store rooms, a dope sample collection centre and medical centers

The existing pavilion building is also planned for renovation for Rugby

The Delhi University does not want to lag behind in the terms of preparing its students for the games .For this purpose, the University administration has requested Sports Authority of India to start an in-house coaching centre on the campus, where training on every type of games will be provided.

Infrastructure development for 2010 Commonwealth Games - 3

Thyagraj Sports Complex is the competition venue for netball and training venue for Athletics for Commonwealth Games, Delhi 2010. The site is located on shri Gangnath Marg in Thyagraj Nagar. Multipurpose air conditioned stadium with required facilities for netball and synthetic athletic tracks with required facilities are proposed to be constructed .In addition there will be 5 lawn tennis courts .The stadium has a seating capacity for 6823 spectators





Source : http://www.skyscrapercity.com

Infrastructure Development for 2010 Commonwealth Games - 1

I have got some recent pictures of the various construction and development work going on for 2010 Commonwealth Games, from http://www.skyscrapercity.com/. I didn't know from where the guys got these pics , but they are really nice and also show all the reality behind the scene. Enjoy!!

New Accommodations at Commonwealth Games Village

Seldom does one gets an opportunity to own a piece of sporting history, and if it’s the residential infrastructure readied to accommodate athletes at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Village in Delhi, the legacy only gets stronger. The city is witnessing a complete infrastructural makeover. Part of this makeover, is the prestigious Games Village being developed close to the Akshardham Temple in East Delhi.

Leading developer Emaar MGF won, as a part of Delhi Development Authority’s global tendering process, this Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative which will be one of the most superior residential developments of the capital. Strategically located, the Games Village is a few minutes away from the Central Business District (CBD), with excellent connectivity by way of an elevated road network and metro services. The development will house 1,168 ultra-modern premium apartments, spread over 27.17 acres, and will house more than 8,000 athletes and officials during the Games.

“The Commonwealth Games Village, one of the landmark projects for our group, is a certified green development in the city that adheres to the most stringent quality parameters. The development will incorporate the best international practices and standards not only from a design perspective, but include modern energy solutions, including solar power for common areas, VRV technology air-conditioning systems, apart from comprehensive security systems like video phones,” said an Emaar MGF official.

The village is spread over 34 towers and international architects & designer SRSS of Singapore is working on the project. It will have two to five bedrooms apartments with sizes ranging from 1,250 sq ft to 3,000 sq ft and prices starting from Rs 1.75 crores and going up to Rs 4 crores. All the towers will range from six to nine levels and the residential complex will have a two-level car parking and services facilities at the basement level.

With more than 73% greens and open spaces, the whole area will be landscaped with gardens, walkways and pathways. The complex will include ample leisure and recreational facilities such as a health club, community centre, and clubhouse as well as convenience retail space apart from specific children play areas and recreation facilities for senior citizens. The village will have sports facilities like tennis courts, half-court basketball, a 30-metre lap pool with recreation bay and a bubble pool.

Says Anuj Puri, chairman of Jones Lang Lasalle Meghraj, “Apart from catapulting Delhi in the top league as a world-class city, this development will also help address the housing demand within the region. With construction on in full swing, the Village is making rapid progress towards the scheduled deadline of March 2010.

One of the key developments around this sporting event, the Games Village will be a defining example of superior Indian skills and capabilities. Once completed, the village will boast of 3.8 million sq ft built-up space housing the capital’s premier residential address.”

2010 commonwealth Games-Indian Team Set to Fly

As the 2010 Commonwealth Games event is approaching , it seems the Indian Government is taking interest in the training and preparation of athletes. Keeping this objective in mind,for improving India's competitiveness in international sports and to enhance the medals tally in major international events particularly the Commonwealth Youth Games, 2008 and Commonwealth Games, 2010 ,a scheme titled 'Preparation of Indian Team for Commonwealth Games, 2010' has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).This scheme plan has a budget outlay of Rs.678.00 crores and will remain effective for three years starting from 2008-09.

This scheme will help to institutionalize a system for preparation of elite sports persons for prestigious international competitive events, which would also include qualifying championships for major international events, to improve state of art training and better competitive opportunities to elite sports persons or medal prospects, and to develop a system of selection of sports persons based on performance monitoring in the run up to the international event.

For maximizing Indian medals' tally in the Commonwealth Games 2010 this scheme also has a provision for providing state of the art training to our sports persons both in India and abroad with adequate sports sciences back up.

Low-floor buses to Operate between Delhi and Noida by 2010 Games

According to Noida Authority officials, around 40 low-floor buses will ply on Noida-Delhi routes before the Commonwealth Games 2010.Of these, 20 will ply from the Delhi Transport Corporation’s Noida depot along with another 20 buses of the Noida Authority.

The DTC is expected to sanction the buses for the Noida depot in Sector-32 soon. Semi-low floor buses will also be sanctioned for the suburb once the process of modernization is completed.

The Commonwealth Games is expected to attract a lot of visitors to Noida and Greater Noida, which will also host some of the events, apart from visitors.

The Authority plans to have many world-class hotels in place before the Games. The DTC, officials said, has that in mind, and plans to introduce many new standard buses on the city’s roads soon.

Meanwhile, sources in the Noida Authority said the officials are mooting a proposal to buy similar buses which will run on city routes. The proposals are expected to come up in a few months and the plan, if approved, will be implemented before the Commonwealth Games.

There are close to 200 buses running between Noida and Delhi on 15 routes, and 94 buses on various other routes from Delhi Transport Corporation’s Noida depot , which has 115 buses in all.

Agra Development Authority announced schemes for city's modernization

The Agra Development Authority has announced half a dozen schemes to modernize the city's civic infrastructure.

Another bridge on river Yamuna close to the existing Jawahar bridge should be ready by mid June, 2010. This will relieve the pressure on the tottering 100-year-old Strachey bridge which itself is to go through a make-over phase. Work on at least three new fly overs in the city will begin next month and they are to be completed by 2010.

The biggest problem is water supply, which is brackish in the Taj Mahal area,which was made by the British .The water supply to the Taj Mahal area and the gardens is through a minor canal branching from the Agra canal fed by the Okhla barrage. This minor canal is now choked with garbage and there's no water because of poor maintenance . These are the major problems which demand fast and efficient overhauling.

Work on a bridge for the pipeline which has to cross the river Yamuna, close to the Mathura district border, has begun after some initial hassles caused by rival groups of villagers who wanted the project shifted to their side of the village.

New Upgraded Facilities

The capital of India , New Delhi will have five new stadiums and a Games Village for the Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in October.
One indoor stadium each will be constructed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for weightlifting, Indira Gandhi Sports Complex for wrestling, Siri Fort for badminton and squash and Yamuna Complex for table tennis.

Developing new Infrastructure for Commonwealth Games

The upcoming event of this sort schedules to be held in the year October,2010 in New Delhi. Capital Delhi with its ancient, medieval and modern flavor will be in the center of the world’s attraction as the city is going to stage some of the exciting game of events in the Commonwealth Games from October 03 to Oct14, 2010. This will be the third biggest event hosted in Delhi after the 1951 and 1982 Asian Games.
For the same purpose and making the event a great history ,Government pumping in money for Commonwealth Games 2010
The government of Delhi and Government of India both ,is pumping in a lot of money for developing infrastructure and basic amenities for the proper functioning of the event.
A lot of resources is being spent over roads,power,parking and other related facilities.
New Delhi is a business and political hub for India. This is what it is famous for, in and outside India. New Delhi has to prove and present itself as a city which is a sports hub too apart from being just what it is originally known as.