With just 30 days left, authorities are sure of Commonwealth Games success

New Delhi: The clock is ticking fast and furious to the 19th Commonwealth Games here on October 3-14. As Delhi works away at a feverish pitch in the last lap, the missed deadlines, corruption allegations, debris and resulting disease have put a question mark on the whopping Rs160 billion (Dh11.7 billion) expenditure on developing and modernising the Indian capital.

The authorities are still promising a spectacular show — better than the Beijing Olympics — and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has appealed to people to help make the Games successful, but residents are now scoffing at the dream of turning Delhi into "world class city".

By all counts, the dream has so far been a nightmare for people here, having suffered never-ending traffic jams, disruptions of traffic life and even a rise in dengue cases due to continuous construction activity.

"The Games were allotted to India in 2003, but due to lack of coordination the work finally began just two to three years back. This is bound to result in a compromise on quality — it is practically impossible to complete such big projects only in a few months," P.K. Sarkar, head of transport planning in the School of Planning and Architecture, said.

Sarkar said work in a hurried manner had led to leakages in various stadia.

Delhi has worked hard on its transport. It will have 6,528 state-run buses before the Games — the number at present is 5,164. Over 570 dedicated buses will be pressed into service for ferrying athletes and delegates to Games venues.

"Besides, 80 buses will be put standby in case of an urgent requirement. All these 654 buses will be fully air-conditioned," an official said.

Metro reaches out

Delhi Metro is also set to cover a distance of 190 km before the Games, reaching out to the neighbouring states.

But such success stories have been few.

According to Delhi's Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, Rs161.98 billion was earmarked for overall development of the capital in the last four years. But a survey by a leading newspaper says at least 76 percent of Delhi residents feel the expense is unjustified.

"Many roads are still dug up and the rain is making things worse for us. We can't walk, we can't drive. How long can Delhi residents bear the brunt?" asked Rohit Sharma, an engineer who lives in the capital.

Major construction work at Shivaji Stadium (meant for hockey practice) is still to be done, with the authorities toying with the idea of shifting the trial venue.

Four stadiums funded by the Delhi administration — Thyagaraj (netball), Chhatrasal (track and field training), Talkatora (boxing) and Ludlow Castle (wrestling training) — have been completed, officials said.

However, some minor work like drainage and cabling still continues in these venues.