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.

Thyagaraj Sports Complex inaugurated

The Thyagaraj Sports Complex, the venue for the netball competition for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, was inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit here Friday.

Built from scratch at a cost of Rs.300 crore (Rs.3 billion/$65 million), it is the most talked about venue for the Commonwealth Games because of its environment-friendly features. With retractable chairs, disabled-friendly signages and ramps, and folding doors with fire sensors, it is a state-of-the-art venue.

'This is the only one which has been built right from the scratch and it is our first green stadium,' Dikshit said.

One of the greenest sporting venues in the world, the Thyagaraj Sports Complex boasts of glass glazing for insulation, energy saving light fixtures and water conserving plumbing.

Several environment-friendly technologies -- like solar and gas-based power generating systems, rainwater harvesting and an effluent treatment plant -- have been used.

It took three years for the public works department (PWD) to construct the multi-disciplinary stadium spanning an area of 16.5 acre with a seating capacity of 5,000. The stadium also has a practice track for athletics, three tennis clay courts and two grass courts.

Commonwealth Games security arrangement: Beat this.!!

As Commonwealth member countries raise doubts about security for the 2010 Games, the Organising Committee is busy working on a foolproof ticketing system. Delhi government is determined to show that they are serious about security of participants and the audience.

In the latest move, the organizing committee informed that all tickets will carry a barcode. The barcode will have information including stand and seat. Also, the Delhi Police will have the photograph of each person watching the game and his exact seat in the stadium.

When the spectator enters the stadium, security cameras will record his photograph. The photo will be stored along with the information in the barcode.

“It is a foolproof system, by which we will know exactly where a person is sitting in the stadium and what time he left the venue,” said Sujit Panigrahi, Additional Director General, Technology, of the Organising Committee.

Commonwealth Games chief caught napping.. OOPS..!!

Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell has been keeping a hawk's eye on Delhi's preparations for the games. Earlier last month he had raised concerns about India’s preparedness for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

However he was found napping during a presentation made by the Organising Committee (OC) at the Thyagaraj Stadium here Thursday. During the presentation, Fennell and some delegates were caught on camera dozing off much to the disappointment of the Indian officials.

Fennell has raised questions on the OC’s ability to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games and even asked for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention. He had warned that the Games was heading for a "partial failure" unless the organisers pulled up their socks. Fennell is expected to meet the Prime Minister here on Friday.

With some 110 delegates from 71 Commonwealth countries for federation’s General Assembly slated for Oct 12, Fennell went around the city visiting all the venues and the Games Village. And by the time his convoy of three buses and eight cars came to Thyagaraj Stadium, it seemed that the trip had taken a toll on him.