New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) With 50 days to go for the Commonwealth Games, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday summoned all the officials concerned in the preparations of the mega-sporting event and asked them to ensure the facilities are ready in time and meet international standards as the ‘eyes of the world’ were on India.
The prime minister, who chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparations for the Games, asked the Group of Ministers (GOM) for the games headed by Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy to hold frequent meetings to supervise the preparations.
The GoM has been empowered to take all decisions necessary for the smooth conduct of the games, and the cabinet will be briefed on the state of preparations on a weekly basis.
‘The Group of Ministers will refer any matter that may require further consideration to the finance minister for a final decision,’ a press statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrashekhar has been directed to liaise closely with the GOM to ensure effective coordination among all the authorities concerned.
‘The committee of secretaries headed by the cabinet secretary will continue to review implementation and it will have the status of an empowered committee. It will have jurisdiction over matters relating to the organising committee and a secretary level officer of the cabinet secretariat will liaise with the organising committee on a daily basis,’ the statement said.
The prime minister, who has decided to visit the games venues in the last week of August, observed that there had been slippages in the time schedules of some of the construction works and deficiencies had also been observed in some of the works.
He said that, in the run up to the Games, it was important to gain public confidence by instilling order and carrying out effective supervision of the preparation works.
The prime minister directed the ministries concerned to conduct thorough investigations into all the complaints that have been received of procedural and other irregularities. He said that those found guilty should face severe and exemplary punishment.
The organising committee was asked to take necessary steps urgently to conclude all pending preparations. Its senior management committee will meet daily, and be chaired by the chief executive officer in the absence of the chairman or vice-chairman.
Additional senior and experienced officers from the government would be deputed as required.
The prime minister said that the eyes of the world were on the country as it conducts this prestigious event.
‘The Commonwealth Games is an occasion not only to celebrate sporting excellence but also the spirit of kinship and camaraderie among the Commonwealth fraternity. India will have an opportunity to present its culture, its achievements, its warm hospitality and its organisational capabilities to the world,’ the statement said.
‘Our athletes and sportsmen are training hard and need the full support and encouragement of their fellow Indians,’ he said, urging all concerned to ‘work single-mindedly so that the Games could be held in a manner the nation could be justifiably proud of’.
Apart from Reddy, the meeting was attended by Youth Affairs and Sports Minister M.S. Gill, Delhi Lt. Governor Tejinder Khanna, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister T.K.A. Nair, Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and other senior officials.
The prime minister convened the meeting a day after the Congress core committee met at his residence to discuss the CWG controversies and left it to the government to take steps for smooth conduct of the games.
The preparations for the Games have attracted adverse media coverage for the delays in construction works and alleged irregularities concerning the Organising Committee, led by Kalmadi.
Kalmadi has denied charges levelled at him and said he was ready for scrutiny. Opposition parties led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left have called for Kalmadi’s resignation and an explanation by the prime minister on the floor of parliament.
The organising committee had Aug 5 suspended T.S. Darbari, Sanjay Mahendroo and M. Jayachandran, whose names featured in the irregularities related to the Queen’s Baton Relay, following the report submitted by its probe panel looking into the allegations.
The organising committee treasurer Anil Khanna had also resigned in the wake of allegations that his son’s firm secured the contract for laying synthetic courts at the R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium, which is one of the venues.
