Queen's baton reaches Sri Lanka

The Queen’s Baton Relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in Delhi from October 3-14, arrived in Sri Lanka from Maldives on Thursday.

The Baton touched down at the Bandaranaike International Airport, where representatives of the Indian High Commission and the senior officials of Sri Lankan Tourism Ministry were present.

After Colombo, the flame will travel through different places of the island country including adjoining Negombo, Wennappuwa, Kurunegala, Kegalle, Pinnawela and Rambukkana.

Hemasiri Fernando, president of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Sri Lanka, said the arrival of the QBR “in our community” is being celebrated with great enthusiasm and many athletes will participate during its stay in Sri Lanka.

“We look forward to see many local people join the festivities and turn out to cheer on Baton-bearers, including past and present athletes,” Fernando said.

The Baton is on its way to 190,000-kilometre journey, during, which it will pass through 71 countries and territories that make up the Commonwealth of Nations.

Sri Lanka is the 67th stop for the Baton and from here it will enter Bangladesh. The seeing off ceremony in Sri Lanka will be held at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium here on June 19.

The Baton would enter India from Pakistan through Wagah border and then embark upon a 100-day national tour starting on June 25 before reaching its final destination Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 3.

Games' TT test event from 16-June

The $100,000 test event for Commonwealth Games TT venue will be played at the state-of-the-art Yamuna Sports Complex.
Sharath, whose ranking plummeted 91 after a huge loss of 21 positions, would look to regain form and score some vital points.
Indian paddlers, led by Olympian Achanta Sharath Kamal, will try to get a hang of the venue as Pro Tour India Open Table Tennis Championship - a test event for the Commonwealth Games - begins from Wednesday.


Besides Sharath, Indian men's line-up consists of former national champion Subhajit Saha, Sourav Chakraborty and Soumyadeep Roy.

The event will see players from 13 countries including Pakistan, Chinese Taipei, Germany and Russia, competing.

Reigning woman national champion Poulomi Ghatak and her doubles partner Mouma Das are coming into the championship after a good show at the recent World Championships in Moscow and would pose a good challenge for their rivlas.

For Kumaresan Shamini, who lost the tag of country's numero uno player to Poulomi, the event provides a good opportunity to reassess her game.

The Indian paddlers have already undergone a week-long training camp at the venue under the watchful eyes of national coach Massimo Constantini of Italy and Bhawani Mukherjee, who is chief SAI coach.

"The camp was very fruitful and all the players are also in good condition. We are expecting some good performance in the tournament," Mukherjee told PTI.

Also, there will be young paddlers like G Sathiyan, Aman Balgu and Soumi Mondal who have the ability to pull off upsets.

The top 16 players in the men's and women's section will be directly placed in the main draw and the remaining 16 spots will be up for grabs at the qualifying events.

"There will be eight competition tables for the tournament and 10 international umpires from abroad to conduct the event", Dhanraj Choudhary, Secretary General of Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI)said.

Competition Manager Didier Leroy of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) said, "I'm happy to be in india for the event. As countries like Japan, Korea are participating we expect good competition. Moreover, prize money is also high."

The tournament will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Sheila Dixit.

Monsoon test for Commonwealth Games

Delhi residents are eagerly waiting for the onset of the monsoon to bring relief from the summer heat. However, they are also worries that the impending rains could spell further trouble for Commonwealth Games organizers.

With a June 30 deadline for completion of the Games venues fast approaching, the debris around unfinished stadiums, dug-up roads and on-going Metro construction work presents a gloomy picture in the Indian capital.

Monsoon rains are expected to hit the city on schedule around July 1, causing major problems for organisers as they race against time to be ready to host the event, which begins on October 3.

The 12-day sporting extravaganza involving 71 nations mostly from the former British empire is already the most expensive Commonwealth Games in history, with an infrastructure and organising budget of two billion dollars.

The previous edition in Melbourne, Australia in 2006 cost 1.1 billion dollars.

The Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, which hosts the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field events, the swimming complex and the cycle velodrome, is causing most concern.

The Commonwealth Games Federation has repeatedly said that more delays would mean the venues have not been tested properly before the real competition begins.

"It does not take rocket science to know that monsoon hits Delhi sometime in late June or early July, and it has a major slowdown effect on construction," a Delhi government said last week.

Local organisers remain confident that their plans will not be washed away by the annual torrential rains, which reduce much of the city to a quagmire for weeks at a stretch.

"There is no doubt everything will be ready on time, whatever anyone may say," organising committee secretary-general Lalit Bhanot told.

Jaipal Reddy, the senior government minister overseeing the work, last week repeated pledges that the June 30 deadline would be met.

Not everyone shares that optimism, least of all Delhi's harried residents, who negotiate their way every day through a rubble-filled city that often resembles a huge building site.

The latest indication of trouble came from city officials who leaked information to the media that a four-kilometre (2.5 mile) elevated road between the main stadium and the athletes' village would not be finished before mid-August.

The rush to complete Games-related work is also proving hazardous. On May 29, a public transport bus full of passengers sank into a large crater that appeared in a newly constructed road. Municipal officials said the road had caved in because its foundation layers were washed away when sewer pipes underneath began to leak.

First aid arrangements at Metro stations

At least 23 first aid kiosks and a team of medical trainers will be placed at prominent Metro stations in the capital to provide prompt assistance to commuters during the Commonwealth Games in October, an official said Sunday.

'The first aid kiosks will be installed at 23 Metro stations, which are expected to have a higher footfall during the Commonwealth Games. A team of four qualified first aid trainers will be on duty,' a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official said.

Besides first aid, other medical facilities such as blood pressure, temperature checkup and general medicines will be provided at the metro stations.

'We are planning to give round-the-clock ambulance services around the metro stations. Ambulances will be stationed near the metro stations, so they can be easily availed of in cases of emergency,' the official added.

About one million commuters use the Metro on weekdays. During the Games, about two million commuters are expected to use the Metro on weekdays.

Bike rally to promote Commonwealth Games

A 15-day bike rally was flagged off here Sunday to spread the spirit of the Commonwealth Games 2010 in five states of north India.

The rally was flagged off by Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the Commonwealth Games organising committee.

'The Commonwealth Games are not just for Delhi but for India and these bikers while crossing the five states of north India will spread the message and spirit of the Games,' Kalmadi said.

The 3,500-km rally from Delhi to Leh will promote the sporting event across five states including Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Malaysian contingent by 15-June

The Malaysian athletes to the 19th Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, in October will be named by Tuesday, chef de mission Tan Sri Abdul Halil Abd Mutalib said.

He said at least 180 athletes and officials were expected to be named for the games, scheduled from Oct 3 to 14.

The athletes would vie for honours in 15 of 17 events, except seven-a-side rugby and tennis, he told reporters after attending the Queen's Baton Relay at Dataran Merdeka in conjunction with the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

About 300 participants of the baton relay covered a distance of five kilometres through roads in the federal capital to raise awareness among the public on the games.

Malaysia is the 66th destination of the baton relay, which will continue on to the Maldives (June 14), Sri Lanka (June 17), Bangladesh (June 20) and Pakistan (June 23) before ending in New Delhi (June 25).

"The selection of athletes is based on their performance beyond the standard set," Abdul Halil said, adding that the list of athletes would be announced by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).

On the medals target, he said he expected the Malaysian contingent to bring back between eight and 12 medals.

"We have not set any medals target on specific athletes so as to prevent any pressure on them," he said.

Congestion tax is solution to Delhi traffic..!!

Urban transport experts Thursday supported Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy's view of imposing a road congestion tax on motorists, saying it will help in reducing pollution levels. With proper infrastructure in place to support the commute, next step is to ensure increased usage of the public transport.

(Read: Delhi Police launch SMS traffic alert service)

'The government should take a call on it and impose a tax on cars entering Delhi. Such methods will prevent people from buying many cars besides reduction of pollution caused by vehicles,' said Ashok K. Singh, general manager (operation) Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd.

(Read: Delhi Traffic updates on Social networking sites)

Singh said the tax will also help in generating extra money for public transport's development and other purposes and will discourage people from using cars.

Reddy Wednesday said that states must think of imposing a road congestion tax on motorists in an effort to check vehicle numbers and greenhouse gas emissions.

'Every state must think of implementing a road congestion tax. Look at Singapore. Everyone talks about its well managed traffic. That's because they have initiatives like this,' Reddy said on the sidelines of the launch of the Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP) in the capital.


Some transport experts emphasised that government should focus on strengthening public transport before imposing any congestion tax.


'It is not a good idea to be implemented in Indian metros like Delhi or others. Since India is still a developing nation, such idea will not be good in terms of the sustainability factor. Such policy is successful in countries like Singapore, London and others because the government has also provided them with other alternatives as well,' said Sarath Guttikunda, an air pollution analyst from urban emission.info.


Last month the Delhi government said that it is planning to levy a charge on motorists for driving in congested areas of the capital before the Commonwealth Games scheduled for October 3-14.


Delhi Environment Secretary Dharmendra said: 'The Delhi transport department is working out a plan to levy a fee on motorists driving in the congested areas of the capital before the Games. The step would help in controlling number of vehicles in busy areas during the sporting event.'

The Indian capital is among the most polluted cities in the world. Its major problem is an ever-growing number of cars and two-wheelers, which occupy a staggering 75 percent of the road space, although only 20 percent of the commuting public uses these.

Delhi has over five million vehicles and another couple million come to the metropolis every day from adjoining states.

Canoeing closer to being a full medal sport at CWG

Members of the International Canoe Federation recently presented to the Commonwealth Games Federation Sports Committee in London, England the case for Canoeing to become a Level 2 event and ultimately a full medal sport at future Games.

Although the sport has been a full medal event at the Olympics since 1936, it has yet to find its way onto the Commonwealth Games roster. Canada is a world power in the sport and its popularity is on the rise internationally.

Geoff Laplante, Canoe Kayak Canada’s representative to the Commonwealth Canoe Federation supports the ICF’s bid and says that full medal status would be a great incentive for many of Canada’s current crop of development age paddlers – including members of last year’s Provincial team champions from the North Bay Canoe Club.

"These things take time and building a strong foundation is key for long term success. I suspect that full medal status would not be possible until at least 2018 and for many of North Bay’s paddlers, who are quite talented by the way, that would be a very realistic goal. Let’s hope it all works out. It sure would be nice to increase international opportunities for local paddlers and the sport in general.”

Litmus test for Delhi traffic management

Starting this month-end or early next, Delhi Traffic Police will begin blocking one lane of several carriageways across the city to test a traffic plan that will be in force during the Commonwealth Games in October. The restrictions will be in place for all 24 hours of the day.

(Read: Delhi Police launch SMS traffic alert service)

Almost all of the roads along the 170-km stretch, beginning from East Delhi and leading up to the airport, will have one lane reserved for Commonwealth Games competitors and authorities. The test will run in phases across the city. The roads located in South, Central and East Delhi, will connect to all competing and training venues.

(Read: Delhi Traffic updates on Social networking sites)

Traffic police expect jams on these following roads, among others: Parade Road, National Highway-8, Safdarjang Road, Kemal Ataturk Marg, Aurobindo Marg, Lodhi Road, Ring Road, National Highway-24, DND flyover, Captain Gaur Marg and stretches of Outer Ring Road. "We are only waiting for the lane markings in green to be done, and we will start the trials soon after," a police official said.

The pilot project will most likely begin at the end of this month at Vinay Marg near Ashoka Hotel at Chanakyapuri.

As part of the dry run, traffic police will start blocking one lane on these roads in phases.

Ajay Chadha, special police commissioner, said the lanes will be out of bounds for commuters throughout the day, and that traffic police personnel will be deployed to ensure commuters don't enter these lanes, which will be painted green.

He admitted people will face problems. "We know managing traffic will be a challenge," he said, "but we'll do our best to educate commuters so that traffic moves smoothly." Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said traffic authorities will try their best to ensure traffic is not disrupted but added that trial runs were unavoidable as a lane had to be reserved for athletes during the Games.

"There is no doubt that Delhi's roads have huge traffic.

But if traffic restrictions are managed well they'll help in improving vehicular movement," she said. " It's all about enforcing the rules. Trial runs will be carried out till authorities achieve some degree of confidence in the traffic plan." But Dr P. K. Sarkar, professor of transport planning at the School of Planning and Architecture, is certain that city traffic will turn chaotic as a result of these trials.

"There is bound to be chaos," he said. "What else would you expect if a lane lies unused on a major road?" He warned that if Delhi Traffic Police does not plan the closures well, it could create a ripple effect on other roads.

"People will try to avoid blocked roads and take other routes. As a result there will be traffic jams on several roads." Traffic officials have decided to put up bollards on several roads where it is not possible to post traffic constables.

"This will physically keep commuters away," an officer said. He said there is no formal timeframe for the trial run.

"It could continue right up to and certainly during the Commonwealth Games." Rohit Baluja, president, Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), said: "Such traffic schemes have to be planned much in advance so that agencies have time to implement it.

There would be signage all over the city to ensure commuters find their way easily. We will also use the media effectively to educate commuters about the diversions." Sources said the traffic plans were prepared in consultation with the Delhi Police, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, and the MCD, PWD and the NDMC. The decision to reserve a lane was taken at a high- level meeting convened by Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna.

16 countries to participate in CWG Rugby

16 countries have confirmed participation in the Commonwealth Games Rugby 7s tournament in New Delhi.

Samoa, reigning Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens champions New Zealand, hosts India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Tonga , Canada and Guyana will participate in the tournament from Oct 11-12.

"We firmly believe that the Sevens tournament at the Commonwealth Games plays an important role in the ongoing development and promotion of rugby around the world, attracting some of the world’s top players, delivering exciting matches and attracting new fans thanks to the remarkable talent of all the international teams competing," said IRB president Bernard Lapasset.

"The Sevens tournament at the Commonwealth Games has always proven successful, achieving sell-out crowds, and this year we are particularly excited that the competition is being held in India where rugby is reaching out to new young audiences in a rapidly developing market for our sport. We are looking forward to what promises to be an exciting tournament."

Rugby Sevens was introduced to the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur 1998.

The pools and tournament schedule will be announced in next few weeks.

Decongesting Paharganj..!!

In a bid to decongest Paharganj area before Commonwealth Games, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has started work on realigning the Deshbandhu Gupta flyover that starts from Ajmeri Gate and ends at Paharganj.

According to MCD officials, the flyover was being revamped for the first time since it was built in the late 1940s.

The flyover was earlier descending towards the Paharganj market opposite Shiela Cinema and the service lane in front of Shiela Cinema was the only access route for traffic coming from both sides. However, by realigning the flyover, the MCD plans to create a service lane in front of the Paharganj market.

"Paharganj is going to be an important tourist destination during the Games as it has a large concentration of hotels and guesthouses. It also serves as an important feeder to the east-west corridor. The area sees massive traffic jams daily as the only entry and exit point is a narrow lane running in front of Shiela Cinema. To make traffic one-way in Paharganj, we are creating a service lane opposite to Shiela Cinema. This will be done by realigning the flyover" said an MCD official.

As part of the project, MCD is going to break down the embankment in the Paharganj market. Shops have been partially demolished along DB Gupta Marg. Once the mud is excavated from the embankment area, space will be created for expansion of the service lane.

‘‘A retaining wall has also been created on the Shiela Cinema side to extend the flyover on that side and to support a main water pipeline. Once this project is over, traffic coming from Jhandewalan will take the service lane in front of Shiela Cinema to move towards CP and traffic coming from the New Delhi railway station will move towards Jhandewalan using the service lane in front of the Paharganj market. Those coming from or going towards Ajmeri Gate can use the flyover. This traffic circulation plan will make the entire area signal free,’’ added the MCD official.

The project is expected to be completed by June 30.

100 Commonwealth Games kiosks by August

About 100 tourist information kiosks will be set up by August in the city ahead of the Commonwealth Games in October.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will set run them on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis.

'These information kiosks, numbering at least 100, will be put up at every Games venue and tourist spots like Red Fort, India Gate and Qutub Minar,' said a senior official of MCD.

MCD has decided to sell from these kiosks items like chocolate replicas of the Qutub Minar, Old Delhi's famous jalebi-shaped earrings and T-shirts with messages like 'Welcome to Delhi', 'Commonwealth Games 2010', 'Delhi-Dil Se' and 'I love My Delhi' and T-shirts with pictures of city monuments.

'Apart from this, the kiosks will also have stone replicas of various monuments for sale,' the official said.

The stalls will also have handicraft and handloom items popular in various parts of the country. 'The civic body is in talks with the Handicrafts and Handlooms Exports Corporation of India ,' the official said.

Pamphlets and other information material about the city, historical spots and information on tourist spots like Agra and Jaipur will also be available, he said.

The MCD also plans to use these kiosks for currency exchange, but the civic body is still awaiting a clearance from the central government. The kiosks will also help visitors with taxi and autorickshaw booking.

Each kiosk will be 10 feet by 10 feet in size and its front will be made of glass. It will also have a solar panel on top to generate electricity.

The side panel of the kiosk will carry information about tourist spots. The kiosks will be in place by the first week of August and will be removed soon after the Commonwealth Games.

Camilla to accompany Prince Charles to Delhi

Though Queen Elizabeth will skip Delhi Commonwealth Games, there is an addition from the royal family at the opening ceremony. Camilla, wife of Charles, the Prince of Wales will be present during opening ceremony.

According to an external affairs ministry official, the British government has confirmed that that 62-year-old wife of the heir to the British throne, will also be in Delhi to attend the inauguration of the Commonwealth Games Oct 3.

Her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, by not attending the Games inauguration will break a 40-year-old tradition. Last month, the Buckingham Palace spokesperson said that due to a very packed schedule, the Queen will not be able to attend the event. It was then stated that only Prince Charles would be attending the event.

Now with his wife joining him, the royal wattage has certainly doubled at the Commonwealth Games.

The couple had earlier visited India in 2006, a year after they got married in 2005.

The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee is expecting to receive over 100,000 spectators and delegates during the Games. A budget of Rs.11,494 crore (Rs.114.9 billion) has been earmarked for the successful conduct of the Games scheduled Oct 3-14 in the Indian capital.

A total of 71 Commonwealth countries are participating in the mega-event.

Delhi airport Terminal T3 ready

Government of India is planning a bash to celebrate timely completion of Delhi airport Terminal T3. It is one of few Commonwealth Games project getting ready before the event in the face of massive co-ordination challenges. The aviation ministry has invited the country's top 22 bureaucrats including the cabinet secretary and secretaries of ministries of home, revenue, defence, external affairs, surface transport and the intelligence bureau chief to IGI Airport's new terminal (T3) as it has been completed with more than a little help from all of them and is now ready for a July 3 inauguration.

Aviation secretary M Nambiar has overseen the project progress and ensured coordination with scores of other government agencies along with DGCA chief Nasim Zaidi's sharp eye on operational aspects. According to ministry officials, the GMR-led Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) implemented the Rs 12,000-crore project in just 37 months.

"There were several issues that had the potential to derail this project. But the National Facilitation Council led by the cabinet secretary provided the meeting ground for varied stake holders and ensured that differences and hassles between the various departments were ironed out. So we thought having a thansksgiving at T3 would be ideal for the NCF's final meeting," said a top official.

Giving a sense of the task completed, he said a minimum of 1,000 trucks were required to ferry material to the site to bring five million tons of metal required to complete the project. Due to traffic restrictions on commercial vehicles in Delhi, these trucks used to come from 10pm to 6am when international traffic is at its peak.

Handling these trucks without causing hindrance to the passengers and vehicular traffic was a tough task, said an official.

The project faced interesting challenges like the one to relocate wildlife around the airport. DIAL had to take help from wildlife department for such matters.

Commonwealth Games tickets flying fast

The cash registers started ringing since Friday when the Commonwealth Games tickets were officially launched but over the next two days, they appeared to be on fire.

(How to purchase Commonwealth Games tickets?)

Commonwealth Games Organizing committee has collected over Rs 10,000,000 so far via sales of tickets. Around 10,000 tickets were sold, including those for the Opening and Closing ceremonies.

Tickets to the opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, which will feature big Bollywood stars, in what has been promoted as a spectacular event, are flying off the shelves.

"What we have realised from talking to people in Delhi is that everyone wants to watch at least one Commonwealth Games event,” said Lalit Bhanot, Secretary General, Organising Committee.

The organisers expect to sell around 1.7 million tickets in all, with expected earnings hovering around the Rs 60 crore figure.

After the ceremonies, hockey, athletics, swimming and tennis and squash are raking in the moolah the most.

Hockey was expected to be popular, and swimming also has a fan following.

“If Usain Bolt (Jamaican; world’s fastest athlete) confirms participation, athletics will get more crowd,” said a senior organising committee official.

Retail points like Central Bank of India branches and Hero Honda outlets are doing brisk business. Availability will increase once bulk group booking starts in August.

Around 60 per cent of the sales are sold online, and the rest are from retail outlets.

Indian Rail Catering and Tour Company (IRCTC) has been appointed as the official ticketing agency for CWG 2010 in consortium with Broad Vision Systems and TicketPro.

IRCTC will provide tickets through the Internet, call centres and a network of retail outlets.

Each ticket holder can travel free of charge by Delhi Metro trains and DTC buses to reach and return from the venue on the day of the event for which they hold a ticket.

List of Central Bank branches selling CWG tickets

Here is list of branches of Central Bank of India from where tickets for Commonwealth Games can be purchased:

Central Bank of India
5 Jeevan Tara Building,
New Delhi-110001
Ph: 011-23361460

Central Bank of India
M-67, M- Block Market, Greater Kailash-I,
New Delhi-110048
Ph: 011-29233321

Central Bank of India
Madhuban, 55, Nehru Place,
New Delhi-110019
Ph: 011-26440213

Central Bank of India
28-C, Moolchand Shopping complex,
DDA Building, Defence Colony,
New Delhi-110024
Ph: 011-24653123

Central Bank of India
8-10,Lok Nayak Bhawan, Khan Market,
New Delhi-110003
Ph: 011-24618961

Central Bank of India
Link House, 3, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,
New Delhi-110002
Ph: 011-23312472

Central Bank of India
B-1/29, Community Centre, Janakpuri,
New Delhi-110058
Ph: 011-25591718

Commonwealth Games tickets sale launched

Tickets for the Commonwealth Games went on sale today. The prices range for tickets is from very affordable Rs 50 (US $1.1 approx) going up to Rs 50,000 (US $ 1100).

While ticket prices for the sporting event, to be held here in October, will range from Rs 50 to Rs 1,000, those for the opening ceremony have been pegged from Rs 1,000 to Rs 50,000.

The ticket prices for the closing ceremony will be between Rs 750 and Rs 50,000.

The Lt. Governor later told reporters that about 1.7 million tickets are expected to be sold for the event.

Tickets for the mega sporting event will be sold online at http://www.tickets.cwgdelhi2010.org

Tickets are available at retail outlets of Central Bank of India and Hero Honda. We will soon publish list of Central Bank and Hero Honda outlets.

Commonwealth Games organizing committee has also launched ticketing call centre 1800-200-1294.

General ticket sales agents have been established in 28 countries across the globe (list and addresses to be published soon)
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has been appointed as the official ticketing agency for the Games.

The ticket sales will be in three phases. During Phase I, spectators buying tickets will be provided with a confirmation voucher which will be exchanged for actual tickets beginning Aug 1, when the second phase for the sales start. In the second phase, the spectators will get actual tickets against every purchase.

The third phase beginning Oct 2 will witness venue sales outlet also added to the sales channel.

'Spectators can choose the option of getting their tickets delivered through courier or opt for pick-up option if booking online or through the call centre,' an official said, adding that over 50 outlets have been planned for Delhi and the National Capital Region in a phased manner.

The official said each ticket holder can travel free of charge by Delhi metro and government-run Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses on the day of the event.

There is no entertainment tax levied on Commonwealth Games tickets sale.

Ticket sales in international markets began in November last year, while the sales to sponsors began in May this year.

Austrlia announce Commonwealth Games bowls squad

Australia on Wednesday announced its lawn bowls squad for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games here.

Australia had topped the medal count in lawn bowls in Melbourne four years ago with three gold, one silver and one bronze medals and coach Rex Johnston believes it is possible to replicate that performance in Delhi.

'We're extremely happy with the final 12 that have been selected,' he said, preparing for his sixth successive Commonwealth Games campaign as a player or a coach.

'We have a strong mix of youth and experience, with the likes of Armitage, Turley and Casey being given the chance to defend their respective gold medals from Melbourne, while we've also invested our faith in the likes of Cottrell and Selby who have proven to be world class players over the past couple of years.'

Natasha van Eldik , 19, will be youngest lawn bowler to don the Australian colours in a Commonwealth Games meet.

She lines up alongside reigning gold medallist, 26-year-old Lynsey Armitage. The pair won the silver medal at the eight-nation tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium lawn bowls facility here in April.

The 20-year-old Kelsey Cottrell, a reserve four years ago, will make her debut in the women's singles, while Sharyn Renshaw (NSW), Claire Duke (NSW) and Julie Keegan (NSW) have been selected to play in the triples.

In the men's disciplines, world No.2 Leif Selby has secured the coveted singles role while Mark Berghofer and Aron Sherriff will play in the pairs and Brett Wilkie will partner defending Games champions Wayne Turley (NSW) and Mark Casey (QLD) in the triples.

Team:
Men Singles: Leif Selby
Men Pairs: Mark Berghofer and Aron Sherriff
Men Triples: Brett Wilkie, Wayne Turley and Mark Casey.
Women Singles: Kelsey Cottrell
Women Pairs: Lynsey Armitage and Natasha Van Eldik
Women Triples: Sharyn Renshaw, Claire Duke and Julie Keegan

Prince dance group to perform during CWG

Orissa based Prince Dance Group, which came in prominence after winning a reality TV show last year, will perform at the opening ceremony of the upcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG) Oct 3-14 in the capital.

Earlier this year, Commonwealth Games organizing committee had got petition to include Prince Dance group in the Commonwealth Games ceremony. The group is famous for its depictions of Indian epics.

"We are very happy to announce that the Prince Dance Group that won the season one of 'India's Got Talent' has been selected to perform at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi," Ashwini Yardi, programming head of Colors channel, told reporters.

Hailing from a small town Berhampur in Orissa, the group comprises of 26 artistes, all them are below 22 years of age, lead by Krishna Mohan Reddy. With no professional dance training, majority of the members are contract workers.

3 Malaysian shooters book Commonwealth Games berth

3 Malaysian shooters- Hasli Izwan Amir Hasan, Bibiana Ng and Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi – are assured of participation in the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in October.

Although the National Shooting Association of Malaysia (NSAM) have listed 28 shooters who had beaten the qualifying mark of at least the sixth-place at the previous Games, the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) have made it clear to them that only medal prospects will be given the nod.

The NSAM secretary, Jasni Shaari, said: “We only recommended shooters who qualified on merit. The OCM, however, want quality instead of quantity.

“I think it is a good thing but it will be unfair to those who have qualified on merit.” Jasni added that pistol shooter Hasli, Bibiana and Nur Suryani Taibi were the only ones assured of places in the team. The trio were medal winners at the last Games in Melbourne in 2006.

Bibiana partnered Joseline Cheah to take silver in the 10m air pistol pairs while Hasli and Nur Suryani took bronze in the 25m rapid fire pistol and 50m rifle three-position events respectively.

Nur Suryani also won a historic silver medal for Malaysia in the 10m air rifle event in the Melbourne leg of the ISSF World Cup earlier this year.

“They are the most consistent shooters in the national team. They have also been doing well in both international and local meets,” said Jasni.

DU students trying to figure out accomodation during CWG

With the commencement of the admission season in Delhi University (DU), big question for students who are not from Delhi is to arrange safe and convenient accommodation.

Close to 1,200 of such aspirants, however, may not be able to do so this year as college hostels in DU are being taken over by the government to accommodate foreign delegates who will visit the city during the upcoming Commonwealth Games up till November.

Kirori Mal College, Hindu, Hansraj, Ramjas, Shri Ram College of Commerce and St Stephen’s are among the DU colleges that have volunteered to play host to Commonwealth Games delegates.

Students are, however, not so enthused, being forced to find alternative accommodation during the period. The accomodation will invariably be costlier and less convenient compared to hostel dorms.

At this point, many are not even fully informed about the situation as there has not been any official communication yet in this regard.

Colleges such as Hansraj and Hindu will continue to provide accommodation to their physically handicapped students up till November, while the rest are undecided over the issue.

Renovation work, conducted by the Commonwealth Games Committee, is underway at the hostels. The process is to cost the government for which the government is handing out grants to every college. Ramjas is due to receive an estimated Rs 2.3 crore for the renovation process. “Besides repairs and furnishing, it includes the installation of a power back-up system, a RO system, construction of guestrooms and toilets, improving the kitchen, etc.

Among girls’ colleges, Lady Shri Ram and several others have opted to open their hostels for the Games, while others like Indraprastha College and the International Students House for Women have not.

Girls admitted in co-ed colleges are worse off. Most co-ed colleges do not have adequate hostels for girls and There is often a long waiting list, particularly for the girls’ hostel.

Of the seven co-ed colleges in DU that provide hostel facilities, only four have on-campus residential facility for girls, St Stephens and Shri Venkateswara College being the only ones with an equal number of seats for boys and and girls.

Hostellers, however, will face a hard time since few PGs provide accommodation for less than 11 months. The rush for acquiring rooms has already started, with most PGs near campus getting occupied rapidly.

Several new PGs have opened up in Kamala Nagar to accommodate the swelling crowd of students . Other PG accommodations are available in Timarpur, Vijay Nagar, Shastri Nagar, etc.

The overall shortage of accommodation during the Games will be about 40,000, and the government is trying to bridge the gap by giving tax holidays to the starred hotels which will account for about 11,000 rooms. Another 6,000 rooms will be put together by the Commonwealth Games Village and the newly constructed DDA flats at Vasant Kunj in South Delhi.