200 handicrafts kiosks at INA Market before Commonwealth Games

To give a fillip to the handicraft industry, Municipal Corporation of Deli (MCD) is planning to set up several kiosks at INA Market that will sell mostly handicraft products and food items. These kiosks will serve as a model market.

The civic agency also plans to set up such markets across the city — one in each ward, said MCD officials.

"A total of 200 kiosks will be set up in INA Market. Many of these kiosks will sell handicraft products. Since Dilli Haat is right opposite INA, these kiosks will cater to tourists visiting the area to buy souvenirs during the Commonwealth Games 2010.

However, the approval for setting up these model kiosks is yet to be taken from MCD’s standing committee, an official said.

These kiosks will have solar panels. A toilet that can function without water will also be put near the kiosks. The decision to set up the kiosks was taken in the licensing committee meeting of held last week. The civic body had received 1,31,000 applications for licence to operate such kiosks.

"To maintain a record of all street vendors, we are planning issue identification cards to all vendors," said Surender Gupta, chairman of the licencing committee of the MCD. The civic agency said it had completed the process of surveying all street vendors and registering them.

Indian weightlifting federation fined for $ 500,000

The Governing committee of the Commonwealth games has imposed a penalty of $500,000 on the Indian Weightlifting Federation for the doping fiasco, but fell short of banning it from international events. It would have been even bigger embarassement had India been slapped a ban from 2010 Commonwealth Games. The games are scheduled to be held in Delhi in Oct 2010. Many of the experts believed that India will be banned. However, the back channels may have worked to prevent the ban preventing India's shame in front of its home crowd.

The move has cleared the way for the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to participate in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games 2010. Six of its weightlifters were found positive in the dope tests carried out by WADA and NADA in September last year.

The International Weightlifting Federation has already banned Shailaja Pujari for life, imposed a fine of $5,500 on Vicky Butta and Harbhajan Singh. A fine of $5,000 has been imposed on four other lifters - Rajesh Singh (Madhya Pradesh), Sunita Rani (Punjab), A Vijayadevi (Jharkhand) and Shailaja Pujari.

Tender norms flouted for games tableau

Senior BJP leader and former Sports Minister Vijay Goel has charged that the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee had flouted the norms for tender for the Republic Day Parade tableau.

He also sought a probe into the high cost of nearly Rs.1 crore of the tableau.

Addressing a press conference here over the weekend, Mr. Goel alleged that the norms were issued in June 2009 and four companies had submitted tenders and the work allotment was issued to an experienced Noida-based company which had tendered on July 29, 2009. “The company was asked to go ahead and contact the Ministry of Defence and Sports and it has 28 years experience of making tableaux,” he added.

When the company contacted the two Ministries, it got no response and was later told that the work had been allotted to some other company. This, Mr. Goel said, despite the Noida company being made to submit four models between July and November 2009 by the Organising Committee. Mr. Goel said the new company, which did not have the requisite experience, had been given the work arbitrarily by the Organising Committee and “in all likelihood, the new company has copied either of the three model plans submitted by the Noida-based company”.

Manavjit, Jung to lead India's charge in CW shooting

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) today announced the team for the high-profile tournament to held at the upcoming Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, which will also host the shooting events during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

In absence of Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, world champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu and senior marksman Samaresh Jung will lead the Indian charge in the forthcoming Commonwealth Shooting Championships to be held here from February 17-28.

Besides Sandhu and Jung, the list also comprises 24 men and 17 women shooters.

"Hosts India are fielding a very strong contingent in the tournament, which will be participated by shooters from 10 Commonwealth countries, and are expected to lead the medal tally," an NRAI release said.