Only for 15 days? That is the query that springs up in my mind each time I read a document or listen to about how much the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi are costing us. I shall get to the numbers soon after but let me first ask: Is the sports & city infrastructure, which is quickly coming up & making Delhi a more classy megapolis, going to last 15 days?
Lots of numbers are doing the rounds, including a mind-boggling Rs 30,000 crore than an NGO has released to the media. Let me reiterate that the cost of the Commonwealth Games is Rs 1620 crore – & this is by way of a loan from the Government that will be repaid from the revenues they earn from five streams – sale of broadcast rights, sponsorships, ticket & merchandise sales.
There has been some talk of the city being left with what the anti-sport minded have called ‘severe financial legacy’. I shall address that but only after speaking of the sporting legacy that the Commonwealth Games will leave for Delhi, in particular – & India, at huge.
Five venues are being upgraded, spanking new facilities for nine sports are being opened & numerous training facilities are being either upgraded or created. & each of these has been designed with the athlete in mind. Little wonder then the FIH President Mr. Leandro Negre called the Maj. Dhyan Chand National Stadium the best hockey facility in the world.
Delhi can well truly be the sports capital of the country , what with our national squads training here in the run up to major competitions. Also, the megapolis has the fabulous opportunity to become the most sports conscious city in India. Its citizens – who are among the most important stakeholders in the venture – have taken to the Games admirably.
The city’s development will have advanced by two to 10 years, thanks to the Commonwealth Games. The new terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport will become operational soon. I am sure it won’t be long before it is rated among the best in the world.
The ever-expanding network of the Delhi Metro – I am told that it will extend to 185km in the coursework of the Games, spanning the IGI Airport to Connaught Place, to the Games Village in Akhshardham to all venues – & the 2000 low-floor buses will make commuting in the city a pleasant experience. Add to that, new over-bridges & fly-overs, Delhi’s commuters can have a hassle-free time on the city’s roads. & East Delhi residents will find the elevated road over the Barapulla drain from Sarai Kale Khan to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium a boon as it will save travel time & fuel costs.
None of these facilities has been built to benefit only the Commonwealth Games, has it? These are lasting legacies -- as the Moolchand & Lodhi Road flyovers & Khel Gaon (Games Village) are from the 1982 Asian Games. Besides, Delhi’s power-generation capacity is being augmented & that will serve the city for time to come.
I am sure that the new city infrastructure, the new airport terminal, will also boost tourism & will make Delhi a hub for international tourists who would usually skip India & head to Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok & Hongkong. That will certainly alter from the Commonwealth Games. A study by Cost Waterhouse Cooper says India’s GDP will benefit by $4500 million over five years from 2008-2012. As lots of as five & a half million jobs will have been created, thanks to all these projects.
Having said that, let me draw your attention to reports from Scotland where the budget for the Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow has been revised by 70 million Pounds to 523.6 million Pounds. It was not any different in Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 nor is it a different story with London 2012. Indeed, inflation is not a local phenomenon & cost escalation is a common feature in such projects.
So then, to brand the Games a extravagant extravaganza is to take a short-sighted view & ignore the immense tangible benefits that it brings along. Let me congratulate you & your fellow citizens for taking the discomfort in the coursework of the city development with a smirk. Your patience, I am sure, will be rewarded with a world class city. Rest assured: That is not for 15 days
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