It has been a busy past few weeks for the officials of the CWG 2010 in completing the project of Rs 1000 crores which are now revised to Rs 2460 crores including:
1. JLN Stadium
2. Indira Gandhi Stadium
3. Other Stadia
4. Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Pool Complex
5. Dhyanchand National Stadium
and while we would want to believe that their hectic schedules are a result of last-minute preparations for the games that begins in 10 days, it is sadly not so. The people in charge of the games are busier dodging reporters covering their shoddy work and masking their general ineptitude. While we want to get the inflation for a few days in honor of the 72 participating nations from all over the world who will converge in Delhi to get a taste of the legendary Indian hospitality, those officiating the Delhi games are busier than ever before to present a picture of corruption and incompetence for all the nations for the world to see. We Indians are very easy to please. You promise us a concrete road but cover a single pothole in 5 years, we are happy. You make us believe that the water from the house tap will soon run 24
hours a day and you then give us just half n hour running water every alternate day and we r satisfied. But the judges of the CWG will not be ever accommodating and easily conned common man of India. They will be
sporting legends, players, officials and citizens of nations like
Australia, England, Ireland, many of might have never visited the
country and those images of India revolves around Taj Mahal, Bollywood,
Snakes charmers and general foul smell and fouls sights if u walk beyond the hotel rooms.
The
CWG could have been a golden opportunity to prove them wrong, to open their eyes to an India that is marching forward as a strong, determined nation, eager to rise above the socio-economic challenges. It could have been a chance to break the stereotype and show the grit of a nation whose youth are determined to usher in a global era that is India's alone. Such statements sound hollow now because a failed games experience staged in front of a sizeable global audience will only add teeth to the murmurs that there is a serious disconnect between the ultramodern images of 21st century India and the reality of the masses who still live in pitiable conditions. A couple of weeks back Mr. Suresh Kalmadi had announced that CWG would b world's best and at par with Beijing Olympic Games. But from today onwards will
India get a second chance to organize a game? It is only 10 days to the
unveiling of the 19th CWG and the officials are still struggling with core issues like:
1. Stadiums are still incomplete
2. Approach roads not yet made
3. Underground cabling
4. Water leakages
5. Catering arrangements
6. Debris removal
7. Traffic mismanagement
8. Tainted contractors
9. Lack of coordination
10. Problem of spaces
11. Dengu
12. Dopping
13. Terrorist
14. Flood
15. Foot over bridge collapsed near JLN Stadium
16. False ceiling in Nehru Stadium collapses
17. Players from other countries are taking their entries back
This list of issues, not death which can become longer than the list of sporting events scheduled for a number of games. India is not in the same league as China, USA, or Australia when it comes to winning medals in global gaming events like Olympic, Asian games, or CW,
but we do have a legacy of being the world's best host. After all, we keep our guests on the same pedestal as our Gods. Playing host 2 the world 4
CW 2010 could have unshared New Delhi the national capital and India into a new era in the history of Indian sports. But alas, the officials misinterpreted CW to be 'commonwealth' and opportunity for their own fast monetary gain. It is time more than ever before for us to summon our 350 million Gods and hope that the taxpayer's money does not go in the pockets of people who have left no stones unturned to showcase a corrupt face of India to the world. It is maybe also time to be a little more vocal about the way we are always left to b satisfied with the little morsels of development.
CWG 2010 must surely be a successful event and hope the best of efforts are at least put in now by individuals for whom the country's prestige is very important. But more than anything else, even if the officials sweep the dust under the carpet just in time, let us not rejoice about the patch-up job. Let this dirty game be a learning a lesson for us, the common mass, to be more concerned about the way our new
India is built. Our tolerance to different cultures. Languages and religions are well known, but let tolerance of corruption and incompetence cease with the games.