'I will not run away or resign asI have done nothing wrong'

Suresh Kalmadi, Member of Parliament and Chairman, Organising Committee, puts up a robust defence of his handling of the preparations.

GULF NEWS: With just over a month left for the Commonwealth Games, Delhi is still unprepared. Will it mean an international embarrassment for the country and the government?

SURESH KALMADI: Everything will be ready soon and we will have good Games. But then I am not responsible for infrastructure, as it does not come under me. To get the work completed is the job of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi government.

Making a final dash for deadlines which are all past, the various agencies are on an overdrive foregoing safety measures.

There's been heavy rainfall in the city and it's good that it has happened now. The little drawbacks are being looked into and there will be no cause for worry during the Games. Some of those are complete.

The scenario seems different. The stadiums are way behind schedules. And the ones that you call complete are already falling apart. Will they stand the test of time?

All work will be completed by the end of this month and I am satisfied with the work. I am not responsible for and will not speak on the infrastructure work because it's not being handled by me. This has to be answered by the various government agencies including the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

But you are heading the Organising Committee for the Games.

My job is to organise and oversee the Games. But other works like getting venues completed are not my job. I realise that we do not have much time left because the athletes will be coming here by September 15.

The Games were awarded in November 2003. Why did all the work start so late in 2007?

All this happened because of Mani Shankar Aiyar. Since he was the sports minister then, he saw to it that nothing moved because he was against the Games. He would sit with all proposals and after some time we stopped sending anything to him. There was nothing we could do. It was only after he was shifted from the ministry that work began.

Once things started moving, international clearances were needed for the infrastructure. This took time. Then there are the various agencies in Delhi for getting clearances including the environment ministry. In addition, some matters went to the court and then lengthy government processes were to be followed. But all is working out now.

Delhi seems to be in a precarious position with the Games mired in several controversies.

Most of the things are falling into place. And these are unnecessary controversies. I have given a commitment that we will have world-class Games and I know that no one else will be able to organise the Games now. I will not run away or resign because I have done nothing wrong and am ready for any judicial probe. Every rupee spent on the Games is accounted for.