To Deal With Emergency during CWG, Doctors Get Lessons

2010 Commonwealth Games are coming near; doctors in New Delhi are being specially trained for contingencies such as bio-terrorism and nuclear attack.

Dr. M C Mishra, head at the AIIIMS Trauma Centre, said, "Doctors are being trained to deal with casualties in the event of chemical, biological, radiology or nuclear (CBRN) terrorist attack during the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Doctors, both civilian and military, are being trained."

AIIMS Trauma Centre has been developed as a main centre for a three-day workshop on emergency medical response to any chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear (CBRN) casualties during the forthcoming Commonwealth Games 2010.

On different preparations in the run up to the event, Mr. N Balachandran, Special Secretary (Health), Delhi government, stated that 3 hospitals in the capital were being specially equipped with the newest equipment.

Mr. Balachandran added that the hospitals were being spruced up to address mass casualties, if any.

"September-October 2010 will witness a lot of movement of foreigners in the Capital. AIIMS, Ram Manohar Lohia and G B Pant Hospitals are being readied for the Games," he said. "In case of bomb blasts, people rescue victims. But if it is a biological, chemical, radiological or nuclear attack, one should keep away from the victims."

Dr. W Selvamurty, a scientist with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), stated that together with the doctors, it's also important for people to know how to tackle such crisis and casualties.

Completing Commonwealth Games project – Not a Piece of Cake

Just a week after the Commonwealth Games Federation returned "satisfied" after a review of the preparations for the sports extravaganza 17 months away, optimism in Delhi government is at an all-time high.

Yet in terms of concrete figures the picture does not look all that rosy with some projects still being very far from completion at less than 10% work done. There are also reports of how an important Games project is stalled because of a face-off caused by the insistence of a senior person in Delhi administration to change the plan.

Moreover, there are other issues like procurement of turf which has now forced PWD to ‘‘re-adjust’’ completion dates for Thyagaraj Stadium as the department was told during the recently concluded review that the turf at all venues practice or competition would have to be identical, to ensure which it is preferable that the turf is procured centrally. The construction that was nearly 70% done had to therefore be slowed down.

Getting permissions from all agencies often took much longer than the department had bargained for. In case of the Velodrome Bypass a standoff with DUAC meant that only a special clearance from the LG would get the project moving.

The usual irritants like absconding contractors four laning of the Ring Road over Barapullah Nullah near Sarai Kale Khan was stalled for a while after the contractor fled have also been a problem. DDA officials, however, said that though there were some hurdles all their projects will be completed on time. There were, however, some pleasant surprises during the review too. Work on the Barapullah Nullah Road which began just a few months ago is over 30% done.

‘‘All our projects are on schedule. Some like Chhatrasal Stadium, Salimgarh Fort-Velodrome Road and the Ludlow Castle training venue started only recently but the pace of work since then has been very good. We are very confident of meeting all our deadlines and have already made necessary course corrections,’’ said PWD secretary K K Sharma.

One such course correction was in case of the Naraina flyover which has already received a lot of flak because of the missed deadlines. Sharma says that constructing a flyover without stopping the very busy intersection was a challenge which the PWD finally negotiated by deciding to construct it one side at a time. During the recent review, the committee had asked the department to speed up the Barapullah Nullah Road constructions further so that it is completed by March 2010. Accordingly, special equipment for cantilever construction is being used there, revealed an official.

‘‘In case of stadia there were many issues that were not clear. There were generic guidelines given but we had to keep waiting for the specific instructions to be issued. For example, even something like the number of CCTV cameras at a particular venue had to be cleared from the organising committee,’’ Sharma said.

Checking The Status

Status of Commonwealth Games projects (figures in brackets indicate expected completion date)

Chhatrasal Stadium | 10% (DECEMBER 2009)

Thyagaraj Stadium | 68% (SEPT-OCT 2008)

Training venue at Ludlow Castle | 5% (DECEMBER 2009)

Barapullah Nullah Road | 30% (MARCH 2010)

Salimgarh Fort Velodrome Road | 6-7% (JULY 2010)

Nelson Mandela Marg flyover | 70% (AUG-SEPT 2009)

Aruna Asaf Ali Road flyover | 80% (AUG-SEPTEMBER 2009)

Rao Tula Ram Marg flyover | 9% (MAY 2010) Naraina flyover | 60% (MARCH 2010)

ITO Chungi clover leaf | 65% (AUG 2009) Ghazipur flyover | 33% (MAY 2010)

Neela Hauz Bridge | 24% (MARCH 2010)

UP Link Road | 7% (MAY 2010)

Upgrading of streetlights in south Delhi and trans-Yamuna areas expected to be done in 3-4 months. Work on those in north and west Delhi has not started

DDA Projects

Yamuna Sports Complex | 40% (December 2009)

Siri Fort Sports Complex | 35% (December 2009)

Games Village | 44% (April 2010)

DDA Wants to Increase Work Force at CWG Village to meet Deadlines

Delhi Development Authority has asked Emaar MGF to increase the number of workers at the Commonwealth Games Village site to 10,000 for the project to meet the December 2009 deadline the company has been given. After that period, DDA is supposed to do them up and the flats will be ready only by April 2010.

The project at present has only about 1,800 workers and work is visibly on at only a few of the towers something that Emaar officials explain by saying that ‘‘groups’’ move from one tower to the next after their work in finished in the first. In the beginning there used to be 8,000 workers at the site. Then the recession hit the economy and there were allegations by the company, Ahluwalia Constructions, about not receiving payment and myriad other problems and the number of workers started dwindling. DDA has now received instructions to ‘‘push’’ the company.

The Games Village ran into a spate of trouble, including a stand-off with Akshardham Temple early on and more recently, a fund crunch that forced DDA to buy out some expensive flats at the site to pump in the much required funds. The Games are exactly 500 days away and Emaar claims work on the village is 44% complete.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday IOA president Suresh Kalmadi, on a guided tour of the site, proclaimed satisfaction at the pace of work and said all CWG projects are on schedule. ‘‘Everything will be done by March 2010 and only the rugby stadium and the velodrome will be a little delayed,’’ Kalmadi said.

There was an interesting catch in the Emaar claim of 44% completion though. The flat Kalmadi visited was a striking contrast to the flat immediately above it and thousands of others at the site. While the showpiece had flooring and walls done, a storey higher there were brick walls just beginning to be cemented, freshly made concrete floors covered with water and iron rods sticking out of what is just the first signs of a balcony. In fact, Emaar-MGF staff, while preventing Times City from going upstairs, said it is a ‘‘safety precaution’’ because ‘‘something may break and hurt people’’.

Speaking off the record, Emaar officials said the flat Kalmadi visited is 90% complete and the tower will be the first off the block. ‘‘The total project completion status is 44%. This visit was to give an idea of the real thing. We are confident that we will finish the project on time,’’ said an official, refusing to reveal the status of individual towers. The confidence levels may be high but the company, DDA and IOA still have a long way to go.

Kalmadi said the biggest challenge at hand is to ensure security for the 70-member nations who will come for the Commonwealth General Assembly in October. He also claimed that the sale of television rights has emerged as a money-spinner far beyond expectations with $50 million to be possibly made out of it.

At present, the project has only 1800 workers and DDA wants this number to be increased up to 10,000 to meet Games deadline

Minor Delays in CWG Projects, will Completed on Time

The chief organizer of New Delhi's 2010 Commonwealth Games told that there were minor delays in construction of two venues but promised to have all infrastructure ready six months ahead of the event.

Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the Commonwealth games Organizing Committee, said brisk construction work had made up for the slow start in erecting infrastructure for the biggest sporting competition to be staged in India since the 1982 Asian Games.

"It took us a while to procure mandatory approval for some infrastructure projects. That led to a delayed start, but we have now managed to catch up and most venues will be ready a year ahead of the Commonwealth Games," Kalmadi told reporters.

The Commonwealth Games, a multi-sports event bringing together athletes from 71 nations and territories that formerly comprised the British Empire, are scheduled for Oct. 3-14.

"Most of the infrastructure will be ready in November this year. But there's some catching up to do at the rugby and cycling venues," said Kalmadi. "These two will need another three months and we're expecting these to be handed over to the Organizing Committee by March next year."

Kalmadi said the Commonwealth Games Federation's (CGF) executive board expressed satisfaction with the progress during its recent visit to New Delhi a week ago.

"The CGF executive inspected the venues and expressed satisfaction with the way the infrastructure was coming up, they were also briefed about various organizational aspects," Kalmadi said during his inspection visit to the under-construction athletes village.

"We need to maintain the momentum, and the organizing committee will keep monitoring the execution of infrastructure contracts.

New Delhi was chosen to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games after several failed bids, becoming only the second Asian city to be allocated the event. Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur was the host in 1998.

Amadeus-Yatra.com tie-up resulting in Access to 900 Indian hotels

Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, has inked a pact with one of India’s largest online travel companies, Yatra.com, to provide 100,000 travel agents access to 900 one to three-star hotels on its global distribution system (GDS).

‘We offer customers a choice of booking channels, including online and traditional retail methods. This milestone agreement will help our hotel partners to sell their rooms globally through another channel - the GDS - with its unparalleled reach,’ Yatra.com co-founder and CEO Dhruv Shringi said.

‘We have chosen Amadeus as our long-term technology partner because of their cutting-edge technology and commitment to constant innovation. This new deal will strengthen our collaboration and help drive our global expansion,’ he added.

According to David Brett, president, Amadeus Asia Pacific, the demand for mid-range and independent hotels is growing as travelers look for more budget-friendly options in today’s economic climate.

‘This partnership with Yatra.com is, therefore, very timely to meet that need,’ he added. Since 2008, Brett said, a growing number of independent hotels and smaller chains had joined Amadeus’ GDS.

‘This demonstrates this channel’s appeal to hoteliers that are not traditionally represented by a GDS, as they recognize the value of our global reach,’ Brett maintained.

Yatra.com has partnered with Amadeus since 2007. It currently uses the Amadeus API, a comprehensive toolkit that allows travel agencies to customize their own applications to access the full range of domestic and international airline content in Amadeus’ GDS.

Yatra.com also uses Amadeus Master Pricer, the industry’s leading international low fare search tool, to enable their customers to find the cheapest fares online.

Ankur Bhatia, managing director, Amadeus India, said: ‘India generates the highest number of online travel bookings in Asia Pacific as many local travelers like to look for the best deals via the Internet.

‘However, travelers who prefer to book via a travel agent are also looking for more choice in hotel options. This agreement with Yatra.com will deliver more choice for travelers, and help Yatra.com and its hotel partners reach out to new markets, which in turn will increase revenues for the Indian travel industry,’ Bhatia pointed out.

Commonwealth Games venues to be made attractive

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Thursday said the 2010 Commonwealth Games’ venues, village and their surroundings would be developed in such a way to make them attractive and aesthetic.

“It would be done with an aim to bring the city at the level of international metropolitan cities and prepare Delhi for the Commonwealth Games with the help of such development that holds legacy value even after the games,” Dikshit said in a statement.

The Delhi chief minister added that facilities for pedestrians would be increased and traffic circulation would also be improved, during a presentation made by the Public Works Department (PWD) on street-scaping projects around Commonwealth Games venue sites and some important sections of the Ring Road.

Delhi government’s Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, senior officials of Delhi government and officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Police and other departments were also present during the presentation. A concept related to street-scaping projects, which would be coordinated by the PWD, was approved in the meeting.

“It was also stated that the roads would be upgraded as per the International Road Congress (IRC) guidelines and other international standards pertaining to road and traffic management,” the statement said, adding the concept includes upgradation of ambience and facilities around stadiums such as Thyagraj Stadium, Nehru Stadium, Siri Fort Sports Complex, R.K. Khanna Lawn Tennis Stadium, Yamuna Sports Complex and important sections of the Ring Road.

Dikshit also stressed upon the need of uniform signages and maximum possible green cover.

She instructed the officials to implement the concept properly as the facilities to be developed would become a permanent feature in Delhi.

CGF Meets on Games Preparation

The three-day meeting of the Coordination Committee of the 2010 Commonwealth Games got underway with the top brass of the Commonwealth Games Foundation (CGF), including chief Mike Fennel and chairman of the Organizing Committee Suresh Kalmadi present.

The CGF personnel questioned the stakeholders seeking clarification on certain issues even as they made city operation plans for the Games which, among others, included infrastructure, communication, power, water-supply, waste management and city beautification. All athletes and officials coming from abroad will get top priority, including speedy immigration clearance and accreditation at the airport itself.

Security presentation was made by Delhi Police officials and they assured foolproof security for the Games . Chief secretary of the Delhi government gave an overview of the efforts in all areas being made by it and how $13.3 billion earmarked for the Games will be spent.

A presentation was made on medical arrangements which will have three dedicated hospitals—AIIMS, GB Pant and LNJP. The Games Village will have a polyclinic and each stadium will have a medical facility. The Coordination Committee members will meet over the next two days before the executive committee takes stock of the situation on Thursday.

NCR Hotels dressing up for 2010 CWG

The national capital of India is going to host one of the most prestigious games in the world , Commonwealth Games in 2010 . New Delhi is expecting a large number of tourists from all over the world in addition to the domestic traffic.

A large number of rooms (obviously hotels) are needed to accommodate these visitors. Government as well as private players are doing their part for fulfilling the demand.

Just have a look at some of the renowned hotels in the National Capital Region..

The Hotels are:

City Park, Crowne Plaza, Crowne Plaza Gurgaon, Fortune Select Gurgaon, Galaxy Gurgaon, Grand, Hyatt Regency, Le Meridien, Leela Gurgaon, Mosaic Noida, Oberoi, Park Plaza Gurgaon, Park Premier Gurgaon, Ramada Plaza, Shangrila, Sheraton, Siddharth, Taj Mahal, Taj Palace, The Lalit, The Metropolitan, Vasant Continental

Cyber Highway for the Capital nodded Home Ministry

As part of its efforts to ensure foolproof security during 2010 Commonwealth Games next year, the Union Home Ministry has approved a special project for setting up of a state-of-the-art dedicated communication network for Delhi Police.

The network — Cyber Highway — will facilitate implementation of convergent services of application, call interception and monitoring system.

The facilities will allow all police stations of the Delhi Police to come under one network leading to easy access of crime and criminal data at the click of a mouse, Home Ministry sources said.

The project also includes video surveillance system, CCTV monitoring, video conferencing and interlinking of all police information.

A dedicated traffic monitoring system will also be part of the Cyber Highway project which will lead to installation of sophisticated cameras in all vital points to help smooth traffic management.

The Home Ministry has also decided to create a Special Task Force (STF) for the overall security of the games village and sports venues, considering the vulnerability of the National Capital Region.

"The STF would be created from the existing resources of Delhi Police for overall security and traffic management," an official said.

There would be proper coordination between the STF, venue security and Delhi Police for intelligence sharing, reinforcement of human and material sources.

The STF also might have to deal with sudden contingency situations requiring assistance of other civic agencies, central police forces or crisis management centers.

Considering the security scenario of the national capital and the forthcoming Games, the sources pointed out that crowded places of Delhi were the prime targets for terrorist activities.

In the backdrop of the terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, the Home Ministry last month reviewed the security arrangements for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and favored monitoring the Games village even during construction.

The authorities are mulling tighter security arrangements by ensuring intensified vigil at vantage spots especially the accommodations of players and spectators, sources said.

Senior officials are of the view that terrorists could do some mischief, a fear expressed by a Parliamentary Committee, which found serious lapses in preparations for the mega sporting event.

if you're lost in Delhi Locate a loo to find your way

If you are planning head to the capital for the 2010 Commonwealth Games but fear that you might end up getting lost in its busy streets, just head to the nearest public convenience. The Delhi government plans to install computers at all the loos which will provide tourists information regarding the venues and game schedules to help lost tourists find their way.

Apart from the public conveniences, the Delhi government also plans to install water points, where tourists can quench their thirst while exploring the city. Computers will also be installed at these water points. Here, tourists would also be able to access information about the numerous tourist spots in and around Delhi.

"We are still at a planning stage and discussions are on. It is not going to easy, but we expect to start work in the next six months," a senior Delhi government official said.

Besides this, the Delhi government also plans to convert Connaught Place into a wifi zone.