Delhi CM inaugurates Thyagaraj sports complex

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated the multipurpose Thyagaraj Sports Complex, one of the venues for the Commonwealth Games on Friday.

Built at a cost of Rs.300 crore, it is the most talked about Commonwealth Games venue due to its environment-friendly features.

The state-of-the-art stadium will host events like netball, table tennis, badminton and athletics.

“Thyagaraj (sports) complex is the first green stadium ever built anywhere in the world. Nowadays we are generating energy (electricity) from solar system but after around two months energy will be produced through gas turbines,” said Dikshit.

The stadium features effective water management systems such as rainwater harvesting and sewage treatment with two lakh litres a day capacity.

Delhi CM wants people to become sensitive

Chief Minister Sheila Dixit has an ambitious new plan — getting unruly Delhiites to turn into charming, gracious hosts for the Commonwealth Games in October. And with just 200 days to go for the sporting extravaganza, she has her task cut out.

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The government is compiling what can be called the big book of good manners — which the tourism department plans to unleash on Delhiites via billboards, pamphlets, websites and audio-visual means in the coming months.

“We want to change Delhi’s public culture; their behaviour towards each other and to guests… so that they are courteous,” Dikshit said at the first Delhi Tourism Conclave on Thursday. “We want tourists to go back with the impression that Delhi is a sophisticated city.”

This package of dos and dont's, called ‘Delhi Celebrates’, will help the city folk portray the Capital as a friendly, clean and safe city, said Delhi Tourism head Rina Ray. “We want to tell them don’t urinate in public, don’t spit, keep your houses and shops clean, keep public transport safe and such things,” she told HT. “This will tell every Delhiite that instead of being on the sidelines as a spectator, he or she can contribute to a better Games.”

Six months ago, Home Minister P. Chidambaram had criticised Delhiites for being rude, loud, discourteous. But the state government believes there is a cure for this famous lack of manners, and that time isn’t short. Infact, Ray said: “We don’t want to start the campaign too early lest it fizzles out.”

Delhi schools to close during Commonwealth Games

All government schools in the national capital will remain closed during the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi from October 3 to 14, chief minister Sheila Dikshit said on Monday.

Announcing the decision after a Cabinet meeting, she said the holiday period during Dusshera has been rescheduled so that students could enjoy the mega sporting event.

"We have made adjustments in the holiday period around Dusshera (October 17) to keep the schools closed during the Commonwealth Games," Dikshit told reporters.

"To make up for the extended holiday period around Dusshera, we have decided to cut down on the summer vacation," she said.

Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said the decision would also help in easing the heavy traffic during the Games period.

"Now the Autumn break will be for 17 days instead of the current nine days while we have decided to cut down on summer vacation by 12 days," Lovely said.

He said the winter vacation will be from December 25 to January 9, 2011.

Lovely said the number of total academic days in the current year will be 217 instead of last year's 215 days.

The decision by Delhi government is non-binding on private schools. They will take decision based on government directive as to close the schools during Commonwealth Games, or not.

Sheila Dixit submits Commonwealth Games report to PM

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, who's been facing criticism for running behind schedule on projects for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, met prime minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday to submit a progress report.

This was Dikshit's first meeting with the PM afterGames Federation chief Michael Fennell wrote to him expressing concern overDelhi's ability to host the Games from October 3, 2010. However, Dikshit gave an assurance that all efforts are being taken to make the sporting extravaganza a great success and that all the projects will be completed well in time.

Dikshit told the PM that her administration was doing its best to complete the projects before the deadline, but said Fennell's letter should not have been "leaked" to the media.

Dikshit has been upset with the letter that raised doubts whether Delhi would match the standards set by earlier hosts Melbourne and Manchester.

After the review meeting, the prime minister asked the sports minister to coordinate with Indian Olympic Association officials to fine-tune preparations.

Delhi CM invite citizens for Commonwealth Games preparations

Undaunted by the furore created by her decision to get ministers to monitor each other’s work related to the Commonwealth Games, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit is now planning to extend the privilege to not just MLAs but also citizens.

The government, she told on Wednesday, will announce the opening of a control room very soon where people can call with problems ranging from broken roads to non-functioning streetlights to the greenery not having come up well to a disused police post somewhere in the city — virtually anything. She will herself monitor some of the complaints to ensure a smooth run-up to the Games.

But more than being just a complaint helpline, she says it will be a control room where ground level feedback can be given by anybody. "We will announce the number in the next 3-4 days" she says, making it very clear that any feedback on the state of the city from just about anybody will be more than welcome.

"When I go somewhere and find potholes on the road, I immediately ring up the PWD minister. But I do not know what is happening in Shanti Path or say Vikas Marg unless I actually get there. When you are coming from UP the lights are there and suddenly when you enter Delhi there are no lights and that happens almost till ITO bridge. We need citizens and MLAs to call us up and tell us about all these things. It is about reporting observations and giving feedback,’’ Dikshit said.

There is already a similar helpline run by the lieutenant governor’s office but will this be any different? Dikshit says she is not aware of the functioning of the L-G’s Listening Post but is keen on knowing about the feedback. "A lot of it I will monitor myself," she promised, adding this is her idea and discussions will need to happen to decide the contours of the control room.

Going on to categorically deny reports that the cross-department monitoring of Games projects by ministers is very much on, she said "order has not been withdrawn and all the confusion was misplaced because it is not as if we were handing one minister’s charge to another. It is very simple.

All of us go about the city all day and anything that we see amiss, be it a broken curb or streetlights burning during the day, we should report it," says the CM.

She is very keen on similar response from MLAs for their constituencies and is evidently keen to be privy to as much of this information as possible. It may even build a sense of ownership and responsibility among citizens, she feels.