Dixit says Commonwealth Games preparation is in full swing

New Delhi, Nov.12 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit on Wednesday said that the preparations for the Commonwealth Games is in full swing and promised that facilities for the games would be ready well before the event gets underway in 2010.

Reacting to a statement made by Austin Sealy, the chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Co-ordination Committee that New Delhi could lose the right to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games if organisers are forced to shift the athletes' village from its present location, she said: "All I can say is that the Commonwealth Games will take place and the preparation is on in full swing. Now, somebody has filed a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) that the village should not be made there. We have all the answers to the PIL. The work had begun after getting all clearances. Also,NDA (National Democratic Alliance) had given the permission for the village during its regime. Presently, the work is in progress."

The games village is being built on the banks of the River Yamuna, and is the subject of a legal case after a petition raised environmental concerns over the project.

The Delhi High Court on Monday gave directions for a committee, headed by noted environmentalist RK Pachauri, to oversee all construction activities for the Commonwealth Games 2010.

The court asked the five-member committee to oversee the ecological impact of the construction of the Commonwealth Games Village and submit a report on whether the village, to house around 8,500 athletes and officials, should bellowed at the spot.

Following the Court's observation the CGF coordination commission held a meeting on Tuesday (November 11) in national capital New Delhi to review the games preparations and its chairman Austin Sealy said that it would urge the organising committee to try to have the matter resolved urgently.

"There is an issue affecting the location of the New Delhi games village for the 2010 games. This is the matter which in our part of the world we say is sub-judicate that is before the law court and therefore we would not like to be seen to be commenting on the issue at this stage which would be most inappropriate to do so. But what we would note, however, is that at this stage if there is to be any rearrangements to the games village accommodation it would seriously jeopardize India's hosting of the Games. We would therefore urge the organising committee to try to have the matter resolved as a matterf urgency," Sealy said.

The panel also raised concerns over the delay in starting the velodrome construction and urged the organising committee chiefs to intensify their overall efforts.

Construction delays have already forced next year's World Badminton Championships to be shifted to Hyderabad. (ANI)