Dikshit's 'final' Games deadline: Delhi to miss date again?

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's promise of completing all Commonwealth Games projects being implemented by her government by the extended deadline of August 31 is appearing to fall flat.

Top officials in the Delhi government admitted that key projects like Barapullah Nallah elevated road and renovation of the Yamuna Sports Complex, apart from street-scaping around the Games venues, are unlikely to finished by August-end.

Chief secretary Rakesh Mehta said although a carriageway of the Barapulla Nallah elevated road will be completed by August 25, the construction activities on the second carriageway could be finished by first week of September only.

The four-km-long elevated road between Sarai Kale Khan and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main venue of the event, is being built to provide uninterrupted traffic flow from Games Village near Akshardham temple to the stadium. The over Rs 550-crore project has already missed several deadlines.

Similarly, renovation of Yamuna Sports Complex, where archery and table tennis events will take place, is not likely to be completed by August-end. Peripheral works in and around Talkatora Stadium and Karni Singh Shooting Range are also not expected to be over by the deadline.

Finance Minister A K Walia has publicly stated that work in Yamuna Sports Complex will not be over by the month-end.

Delhi government had undertaken projects worth over Rs 10,000 crore to improve infrastructure in the city ahead of the Games that start on October 3.

Works related to plantation and greenery are also lagging far behind. Although plantation works have been allowed to run through September, several agencies planning to put up potted plants are a bit confused as police have objected to placing the pots near the gates of the venues.

Facing severe criticism for delay in finishing Games-related projects, Dikshit had last month directed all agencies concerned to complete pending work within the final deadline.

Top PWD officials, overseeing street-scaping projects across the city, have also admitted that the works will only be over by mid-September. The department has deployed an additional workforce of 700 labourers to wrap up the street-scaping projects.

"Nine agencies are working on various projects to improve various infrastructure in the city. Some of the projects are getting delayed because of lack of coordination among the agencies," said chief secretary Mehta.

Questions are also being raised over whether the 2,000 flats being renovated by the DDA in Vasant Kunj for stay of technical staff of the Games will be completed ahead of the mega-sporting event. DDA engineers, earlier in the week, had said that they will not be able to complete the flats before the Games.