'Total expenditure for CWG did not exceed Rs 10,000 crore'

Laying to rest speculation that the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2010 budget has overshot, CWG Director General V K Verma on Wednesday said that the entire estimated cost of the Games was Rs 10,000 crore.

"The (speculated) CWG cost is a myth. The entire cost of the Games is Rs 10,000 crore, which is $2 billion as compared to the $28 billion spent by China during the (Beijing) Olympics," Verma said addressing a gathering at the India International Sports Summit in Mumbai.

Out of the Rs 10,000-crore, while Rs 2,000-crore will be spent on hospitality, the rest of the money will be spent on building infrastructure like flyovers and stadiums, he said.

Verma said that if India expects to host the Olympics in the near future, they should start laying the platform from now on. "The time has come to show the world that India is capable of hosting a mega event," he said.

Verma, who is also the vice-president of the World Badminton Federation, said that India got an opportunity to host the World Badminton Championship, following the popularity of the game in the country and the success the country achieved in the sport.

"According to a survey, India is the second largest badminton playing nation with 1.7-million players. India languished at the 27-28 position eight years ago but have now rose to seventh position," he added.