115-501: A number of concerns and controversies surfaced before the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi , India, which received widespread media coverage both in India (the host nation) and the rest of the world. The Commonwealth Games was severely criticised by several prominent Indian politicians and social activists because millions of dollars have been spent on the sporting event despite
230-706: A king cobra from the tennis arena's sewage system. On 7 October, during the Games day 4, the scoreboard at the Delhi University Stadium crashed to the ground when a supporting chain snapped. As the competition would start a week after the incident, there was no harm to the athletes or the event.. 2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games , officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010 , were an international multi-sport event for
345-557: A Rs 50,000 draft to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board or an appreciated reimbursement of 9000 Rs was offered. In March 2019, DDA launched a new housing scheme, for around 18,000 flats situated in Vasant Kunj and Narela, which got a lukewarm response from the general public in terms of applications received. Most of the flats of this scheme situated at Narela was the surrendered flats of
460-611: A Single Planning & Controlling Authority for all the urban areas of Delhi. Consequently, the Delhi Development (Provisional) Authority - DDPA - was constituted by promulgating the Delhi (Control of Building Operations) Ordinance, 1955 with the primary objective of ensuring the development of Delhi by a plan. The aforementioned ordinance was replaced by the Delhi Development Act, 1957 and on 30th December 1957,
575-458: A big sporting event. Meanwhile, Hamilton struggled with the notion a country would not be awarded two major multi-sport events in the same year, after Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics earlier in the year. Delhi bid for the 1990 and 1994 Commonwealth Games but lost to Auckland and Victoria respectively. The Hamilton bid was Canada's attempt to hold the games for the fifth time. The organisation of 2010 Commonwealth Games
690-645: A capacity of 60,000, was the main venue of the event, hosting both the opening and the closing ceremonies . On the other hand, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Shooting Range located in Kadarpur had the smallest seating capacity, at 345. There were three main non-competition venues in the event, besides the Commonwealth Games Village; namely the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Headquarters,
805-504: A comeback as the Board of Control for Cricket in India were not keen on a Twenty20 tournament, and the organisers did not want a one day tournament . Only the top ten nations by medal rank are shown in this medal table. Nations are ranked first by count of gold medals, then silver medals, then bronze medals. The ranking in this table is consistent with International Olympic Committee convention in its published medal tables. By default,
920-410: A few days. In reply to a question whether it could have been just a case of kids being present at the construction site along with their parents, he replied: "It's not just kids playing in the dirt or using a hammer as a toy." He further stated about the kids: "They're told to do the work and they just do the work. They don't know that they should be in school or that they should be playing." Even though
1035-752: A focus for the Commonwealth Games. On 28 July 2010, the Central Vigilance Commission , an Indian government body created to address governmental corruption, released a series of reports and documents showing the irregularities in 14 CWG projects. As per official reports, in total 129 works in 71 organisations have been inspected. The detailed preliminary findings included the award of work contracts at higher prices, poor quality assurance and management, and work contracts awarded to ineligible agencies. There are also allegations of widespread corruption in various aspects of organising
1150-638: A hand in the preparation of the Games. These delegations alleged that accommodation given to them was inferior compared to the accommodation provided to the Australian and New Zealand teams. They went on to state that India was complaining about being victims of racial bias in the reporting of the Games, while simultaneously perpetrating the same kind of racism against the African countries. The Delhi Airport Metro Express built by Reliance Infrastructure and CAF Beasain missed its deadline of 31 July 2010 and
1265-413: A lack of air-conditioning and ventilation. When attempting to move out, the Australian delegation was stopped by staff. When the athletes were finally able to move out into the arena as the first delegation, they were described as being emotionally affected. Some African countries' representatives complained that they received second-class treatment from the Games organisers, in spite of them offering India
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#17327655482781380-614: A largely positive ending. The President of the International Olympic Committee , Jacques Rogge , said that India had made a good foundation for a future Olympics bid, which was reiterated by the Australian Minister of Sports. Commonwealth games Federation chief Mike Fennell stated that "Delhi delivered a fantastic Games". Some observers accused sections of the media of bias, unfair expectations, and negative reporting. The final medal tally
1495-543: A number of environmental controversies arose and the adverse ecological impact of various aspects of the games have been protested by city residents. City residents filed a public interest petition to the Supreme Court of India against the felling of 'heritage' trees in the Siri Fort area to make way for Games facilities. The court appointed architect Charles Correa to assess the impact and he severely criticised
1610-679: A one-off incident. A washing machine was hurled from the eighth floor of the same tower. Nobody on the ground was hit, but it is unclear who the culprit was. Indian newspapers have reported that the Australian Commonwealth Games Authority agreed to pay for the damages and have apologised for the incident. The Australian High Commissioner rejected the claim, stating that the incident was the result of partying and celebrations. Later comments by Australian officials have contradicted claims by Lalit Bhanot that they had admitted responsibility. Perry Crosswhite said that it
1725-427: A photograph of a dog defecating on a bed in the games village. The chef of scottish mission said that there was "excrement in places it shouldn't be" in the athletes' quarters and that members of visiting delegations had to clean up the unsanitary things. The BBC released images of bathrooms with brown-coloured paan stains on the walls and floor, liquids on the floor, and brown paw prints on athletes' beds. Lalit Bhanot,
1840-580: A prolonged legal battle between city residents and the state, construction was permitted to continue on the basis of an order of the Supreme Court of India in July 2009, which held that the government had satisfied the requirements of "due process of the law" by issuing public notice of its intention to begin construction work in September 1999 (a date four years prior to the acceptance of Delhi's bid for
1955-488: A public announcement about the new DDA housing schemes in various categories through newspapers and other media advertisements, formal acceptance of the applications, a transparent draw system for short-listing of the applicants and finally allotment of the property. Some popular DDA housing schemes of the past include the New Pattern Registration Scheme which offers home registration along with
2070-476: A series of "mobile courts" to be dispatched throughout Delhi to relocate migrant beggars from Delhi streets. The mobile courts would consider each beggar on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the beggar should be sent back to his/her state of residence, or be permitted to remain in government-shelters. The opening ceremony was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium , the main stadium of
2185-513: A serious risk to the event. Singh also called for a revamp of the games' organising committees: Jarnail Singh, a former Secretary of the Government of India, was appointed as the chief executive officer and Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi was appointed as head of the committee. In spite of delays and the corruption cases levied on the organisers, commentators stated that they were confident that India will successfully host
2300-622: Is a statutory body established under the Delhi Development Act, 1957, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs , Government of India to "promote and secure the development of Delhi". It is tasked with large-scale land acquisition for affordable housing in Delhi, as well as planning, development and construction of residential projects and commercial lands. Its responsibilities included providing public facilities like roads, bridges, drains, underground water reservoirs, community centres, sports centres, and green belts within
2415-703: Is an image of Chakra, India's national symbol of freedom, unity, power and progress. The silhouette of the figures spiralling upwards from the Chakra, represents the growth of India into a vibrant nation and the games motto, Come out and play. The logo consists of six colours which are green, red, yellow, blue, purple and pink. Green represents life, energy, high spirits, the 2010 games as a green games and determination in overcoming challenges, purple represents reassurance, mystery and excitement, red represents unity, yellow represents destiny, blue represents equality while pink represents luxury and surprise. The official mascot for
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#17327655482782530-771: Is believed to be in the hundreds. Many brothels have been running English courses for sex workers and upgrading their facilities in anticipation of a business upturn during the games. The local government also expected that thousands of prostitutes from other countries would come to Delhi disguised as tourists and practice their profession discreetly during the Games. One anti-trafficking NGO has claimed that there are reports of 40,000 women being brought in from northeastern India alone. A spokesperson said that recruits from that part of India were favoured because of their lighter skin. It has been reported that over 3,000 bar girls in Mumbai disappeared;some local sources blamed on an exodus to Delhi in
2645-438: Is estimated that over 415,000 contract daily wage workers are working on Games projects. Unskilled workers are paid ₹ 85 (US$ 1.00) to ₹ 100 (US$ 1.20) per day while skilled workers are paid ₹ 120 (US$ 1.40) to ₹ 130 (US$ 1.60) INR per day for eight hours of work. Workers also state that they are paid ₹ 134 (US$ 1.60) to ₹ 150 (US$ 1.80) for 12 hours of work (eight hours plus four hours of overtime). Both these wages contravene
2760-450: Is one area which causes us concern". On the second day of competition, less than 100 people filled the hockey venue–the 19,000-seat MDC Stadium. Less than 20 people watched the first tennis match of the tournament in the 5,000-seat tennis stadium, and just 58 watched the netball opening rounds matches. One Indian athlete tried to buy tickets for relatives online, only to be informed by the website that tickets were sold out. When he arrived to
2875-465: Is one song for Shera also composed by the popular composer of India the song contains initiative "Shera Shera" The mascot Shera visited many schools across Delhi to create enthusiasm and interest for the Commonwealth Games being held. Indian Railways served as the lead partner of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Central Bank of India , Air India and NTPC Limited served as the official partners for banking, airline and power respectively. Hero Honda
2990-407: Is shown in brackets. There were events in 21 disciplines across 17 sports for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Kabaddi was a demonstration sport at the Games. Triathlon was excluded from the games as there was no suitable location for the swimming stage. The organisers have also removed basketball, but included archery , tennis and wrestling . Cricket , although in strong demand, did not make
3105-539: The Commonwealth of Nations participated in the event, with the exceptions of Fiji , which is suspended from the Commonwealth , and Tokelau , which didn't send a team. The internationally acclaimed opening ceremony improved the image of the Games, and dispelled negative notions surrounding them, with many observers remarking that they began on an apprehensive note, but were an exceptional experience with
3220-507: The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium , the main stadium of the event. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India and the second time they were held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia in 1998 . It was also the first time a Commonwealth republic hosted the games, second in a country not presently headed by the British monarch since Malaysia in 1998. The official mascot of
3335-788: The National Capital Territory of Delhi , India . In 1922, a tiny Nazul Office consisting of 10 to 12 officials was set up in the Collectorate of Delhi, which was the first authority to regulate the planned development of the city. In 1937, the office was upgraded to an Improvement Trust, constituted under the provisions of the United Provinces Improvement Act, 1911, to control building operations and regulate land usage. India's independence in 1947 and resultant migration increased Delhi's population from 7 lakhs to 17 lakhs by 1951. All
3450-609: The New Delhi , the then chief minister Sheila Dikshit claimed that nobody had approached her, according to CNN, they had tried to contact her as far back as 23 July 2010. In spite of repeated attempts, according to them, no official reply was ever made. Amita Baviskar, a professor of sociology from the Institute of Economic Growth, University of Delhi argues that mega-events, like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, are used to advance narrow agendas of urban reform that cater to
3565-484: The SPM Pools Complex , but other competing teams, including South Africa, reported no such illness. Daily water quality tests were being carried out on the water of the pools, as mandated by the event standards. Additional tests were ordered after news of the illnesses, but they also did not find anything amiss. The Australian team's chief doctor, Peter Harcourt, ruled that the "chances of the [Delhi] pool being
Concerns and controversies at the 2010 Commonwealth Games - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-797: The Siri Fort Sports Complex , the Thyagaraj Sports Complex , the Yamuna Sports Complex as well as a rugby sevens facility in Delhi University Stadium . This does not include the two venues—the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium —that received major renovations or an uplift. All other venues had existed prior to the event. The largest venue was the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, with
3795-528: The $ 580 million Delhi Airport Metro Express line. The organisers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Programme to show the intention to host a "sustainable games" and to take the environment into consideration when constructing and renovating venues. Thyagaraj Stadium is intended to be a key example of environmentally considered construction. In opposition to this intention,
3910-417: The 2010 Commonwealth Games was Shera , an anthropomorphised tiger. His name comes from "Sher", a Hindi word meaning tiger (Hindi "Bagh" means tiger, however, Sher can be colloquially used for both lion and tiger). Shera is described as being the older brother of Jigrr, the mascot of the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games . The logo and the look for the games were designed by Idiom Design and Consulting . There
4025-429: The 22,000 selected volunteers quit, less than a week before the event. This has been blamed on a lack of training for personnel, or dissatisfaction with assignments. Australian media reported that a large portion of this group did not even return their uniforms as a form of protest. During the first days of the Games was normal to observe that several competitions were held with practically empty arenas. The only exception
4140-414: The Commonwealth ) and President of India Pratibha Patil officially declared the Games open. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the host nation, India, attended the opening ceremony as well. A total of three heads of state from outside India attended the opening ceremony; two from Commonwealth nations and one from a non-Commonwealth nation. The three head of states were Mohamed Nasheed , President of
4255-500: The Delhi Development Authority acquired its present name and role. The DDA master plan was formed in 1962 to ensure an organized and structured development of Delhi. This included the identification of new land that could be developed into residential properties and be made into self-contained colonies by providing ample commercial offices and retail complexes. The DDA master plan was revised in 1982 to formulate
4370-527: The Games and city in general. Road-widening projects were finished with an emphasis being placed on expanding national highways. To improve traffic flow on existing roads, plans were made to make both the inner and outer Ring roads signal free. To support its commitment to mass transport, nine corridors have been identified and were constructed as High Capacity Bus Systems (for example, one from Ambedkar Nagar to Red Fort ). Six of these corridors were expected to be operational in 2010. Additionally, The Delhi Metro
4485-456: The Games are "irrelevant to the common man" and criticized the Indian government for sanctioning billions of dollars for the Games even though India requires massive investment in social development programs. In July 2010, he remarked that he would be "unhappy if the Commonwealth Games are successful". Azim Premji called the 2010 Commonwealth Games a "drain on public funds" and said that hosting
4600-467: The Games they had to be available for the trial events. The newspaper further reports that the first stadium was handed over for trial runs in July 2010, three months before the Games. To put the delays in perspective, Beijing National Stadium was completed in 2006, two years before the 2008 Summer Olympics , while the venues for 2012 Summer Olympics in London are scheduled to be delivered one year before
4715-471: The Games was Shera and the official song of the Games, " Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto ", was composed by Academy and Grammy awardee Indian recording artist A.R. Rahman . Preparation for the Games received widespread international media attention, with criticism being levelled against the organisers for the slow pace of work , as well as issues related to security and hygiene. In spite of threats of boycotts and athlete withdrawals however, all member nations of
Concerns and controversies at the 2010 Commonwealth Games - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-542: The Games' Organising Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, apologized to the Ugandan High Commissioner to India for the incident. On 21 September 2010, a footbridge under construction for the Games near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed, injuring at least 23 people who were working at the structure, mainly workers, underscoring fears of poor workmanship. Commenting on the incident, the then Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit controversially remarked that
4945-569: The Games, the Delhi government implemented a program to teach English, and the necessary skills for serving tourists, to key workers—such as cab drivers, security workers , waiters, porters, and service staff. In the two years prior to the Games 2000 drivers were taught English. In addition to Delhi, the Indian Government plans to expand the program to teach people in local tourist destinations in other parts of India. To facilitate hassle-free sightseeing in Delhi, Delhi Tourism undertook
5060-546: The Games. The initial total budget estimated by the Indian Olympic Association in 2003 for hosting the Games was ₹ 16.2 billion (US$ 190 million). In 2010, however, the official total budget soon escalated to an estimated ₹ 115 billion (US$ 1.4 billion), a figure which excluded non-sports-related infrastructure development. Business Today magazine estimated that the Games cost ₹ 700 billion (US$ 8.4 billion). The 2010 Commonwealth Games
5175-514: The Games. Of these 20, one was used for archery; three for aquatics; two for lawn bowls; two for netball; eight for rugby sevens, including seven venues within Delhi University ; two for shooting; one for squash; two for table tennis; one for weightlifting, three for wrestling and two for tennis. A total of five venues were newly constructed for the event; the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range ,
5290-836: The International Zone, the Training Area, the Main Dining and the Operational Zone—the Games Village, which was a non-smoking zone, was universally accessible particularly to accommodate para-sport athletes. Free accommodation for all athletes at the Games Village, as well as free transport and other benefits, such as a free trip to the famed Taj Mahal and a reserved lane for participants on selected highways were provided. The Games Village accommodated over 8,000 athletes and officials for
5405-713: The Main Media Centre, and the Games Family Hotel, Hotel Ashok. The Commonwealth Games Village provided accommodation and training for athletes of the Games, and was opened from 23 September to 18 October 2010. It is located along the east bank of the River Yamuna, in proximity to competition and training venues as well as city landmarks, and is spread over an area of 63.5 hectares (157 acres). Comprising five main zones—the Residential Zone,
5520-523: The Maldives , Marcus Stephen , President of Nauru and a multiple Commonwealth gold medallist, and Albert II, Prince of Monaco , representing the International Olympic Committee . As well, Sir Anand Satyanand , the Governor General of New Zealand , attended the ceremony. The closing ceremony featuring both Indian and Scottish performers. The closing ceremony was not as well received as
5635-569: The Master Plan 2001 and then re-revised in 2007 to form the Delhi Master Plan 2021. The DDA is currently preparing its 4th master plan for the year of 2041. The development of housing projects by DDA commenced in 1967 with the construction of houses and providing basic amenities like electricity, water supply, sewage disposal along other infrastructure facilities. The new projects undertaken instigate recognition of project sites,
5750-522: The Olympic village. A know builder in Australia, Grahame McCulloch criticised the structural soundness of the village; he said "those buildings are the dodgiest things I have ever seen...so substandard". He told his daughter not to use the balcony, fearing that it was collapsible. The next day after the catwalk fell, part of the drop ceiling of the Commonwealth Games weightlifting collapsed. Also on
5865-551: The Queen's message, which was laser-engraved onto a miniature 18 carat gold leaf—representative of the ancient Indian 'patras. The Queen's baton is ergonomically contoured for ease of use. It is 664 millimetres (26.1 in) high, 34 millimetres (1.3 in) wide at the base, and 86 millimetres (3.4 in) wide at the top and weighs 1,900 grams (67 oz). The Queen's baton has a number of technological features including: In preparation for an influx of English-speaking tourists for
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#17327655482785980-537: The Wagah Border crossing from Pakistan. The baton was designed by Michael Foley of Foley Designs and a graduate of the National Institute of Design . It is a triangular section of aluminium twisted into a helix shape and then coated with coloured soils collected from all the regions of India. The coloured soils are a first for the styling of a Queen's Baton. A jewel-encrusted box was used to house
6095-413: The athletes and delegation support staff were "treated like cattle" and subjected to "disgraceful" and unbearable conditions. Moneghetti also complained about the athletes being trapped in "absolute cauldron conditions" under the main stadium before marching for the opening ceremony. The Australians were stuck in a tunnel, where Moneghetti described the temperature as exceeding 40 °C (104 °F) due to
6210-466: The athletes deserve the best possible environment to prepare for their competition." The BBC published photographs of the village taken two days before 23 September showing unfinished living quarters. New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Northern Ireland have expressed concern about unliveable conditions. The Times of India newspaper reports that the leaders of the Scottish delegation apparently submitted
6325-554: The basic infrastructure facilities, coaching through the top sportspersons in India, providing stipends and kits and other facilities to identify and train budding sports talent in Delhi. Besides this DDA also conducts various talent hunt schemes through its Sports Complexes in Dwarka, Saket, Hari Nagar and other areas, including Yamuna Sports Complex and Siri Fort Sports Complex . DDA Dwarka Sports Complex along with DDA Saket Sports Complex plans to host State Level tournaments to provide
6440-418: The camps where workers live and work – a situation which human rights campaigners say prevents the garnering of information regarding labour conditions and number of workers. There have been documented instances of the presence of young children at hazardous construction sites, due to a lack of child care facilities for women workers living and working in the labour camp style work sites. Furthermore, workers on
6555-547: The cause of the problem is very remote" and praised the hygiene and food quality in the Delhi Games Village. He suggested that it could be a common case of Traveler's diarrhea (locally called Delhi belly), or the Australian swimmers could have contracted the stomach virus during their training camp in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia. English Olympic and Commonwealth gold-medalist swimmer Rebecca Adlington said that
6670-464: The ceremony was the helium aerostat , which acted as a giant 360° screen for spectators. The ceremony showcased a fusion of various classical dances from all parts of India, mehendi decorations, sand paintings and yoga . The title song was performed by A R Rahman . Singer Hariharan sang the welcome song for the Games, titled "Swagatam", with thousands of school children. The Prince of Wales (now Charles III ; representing Elizabeth II as Head of
6785-421: The ceremony. The ceremony was divided into six separate segments, each showcasing the rich, ancient and diverse cultures of India, including art, traditions, dances, music and colours. It began with a showcase of a variety of drummers from all parts of India, accompanied by seven-year-old tabla player Keshav. The countdown took place on a screen in the stadium, and was accompanied by fireworks. The centerpiece of
6900-483: The condition of the athletes' village and asked for an alternate accommodation to be made available to its contingent while preparation was still in progress. The Pakistan Olympic Association president Syed Arif Hasan remarked: "We want the CGF to ensure that the athletes' village is in good condition. Athletes cannot stay at a substandard place." Hasan however added that there were no doubts over Pakistan's participation and
7015-528: The construction of the Games Village, there was controversy over financial mismanagement, profiteering by the Delhi Development Authority and private real estate companies, and inhumane working conditions. CNN India discovered evidence of children, as young as seven, being used in the construction of the game's infrastructures. According to Siddharth Kara, who provided CNN with the evidence, he documented 14 cases of child labor within
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#17327655482787130-801: The construction projects, DDA land development also includes providing a lush green belt and forest area for a clean and healthy environment by developing regional parks, neighbourhood parks, district parks, play fields, and sports complexes. DDA undertakes the construction, development and maintenance of commercial properties like retail shops in local markets, shopping complexes, office complexes, makeshift industrial setups, hospitals, community halls, clubs, educational institutions, religious segregation centres etc. These properties are disposed of through auctions or tenders. Delhi Development Authority (DDA) aims to provide an entire network of sports facilities through sports complexes, play fields, multi-facility gymnasiums and fitness centres, golf courses etc. DDA provides
7245-511: The contingent would leave as planned. On the other hand, England's Chef de mission Craig Hunter praised the Games Village, remarking that "the Commonwealth Games Village here [in New Delhi] is better than the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics ". He added that the arrangements at the Games Village is much better than that at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Canada's sports minister also supported the Games, saying that big events always face issues, and
7360-458: The country" and asked "when one in three Indians lives below the poverty line and 40% of the hungry live in India, when 46% of India's children and 55% of women are malnourished, does spending billions of dollars on a 12-day sports event build national pride or is it a matter of national shame?" One of the outspoken critics of the Games was Mani Shankar Aiyar , former Indian Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports . In April 2007, Aiyar commented that
7475-403: The coverage would be broadcast free-to-air . The official motto for the 2010 Commonwealth Games was "Come out and play". It was chosen to represent the invitation of the athletes from the Commonwealth member countries to participate in the games and achieve success as well as the call of the Indian people to support their country's hosting of the games. The logo of the 2010 Commonwealth Games
7590-542: The current state of affairs. Singh has called for the revamp of the Organising Committee commenting that India now has to "retrieve the games". Other Indian officials have also expressed dismay at the ongoing delays but they have stated that they are confident that India will successfully host the games and do so on time. As the Times of India reports, all CWG projects were to be completed by May 2009 and until
7705-624: The degree, frequency and scale of indiscriminate evictions without proper resettlement. We haven’t seen these levels of evictions in the last five years since the Indian Emergency ". In response to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed for study and statements by civil society groups, a report by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) - an arm of the Habitat International Coalition - detailed
7820-413: The demolition of hundreds of homes and the displacement of city dwellers—at least 100,000 of New Delhi's 160,000 homeless people have removed from shelters, some of which have been demolished. Bamboo screens have been erected around city slums to separate visitors from the sights of the slums, a practice which human rights campaigners have deemed dishonest and immoral. The Delhi High Court implemented
7935-503: The designs on ecological grounds. In spite of this, in April 2009 the Supreme Court allowed the construction on the grounds that "much time had been lost" and "the damage already caused to the environment could not be undone". The Commonwealth Games village, located on the flood plains of the Yamuna , has also been the subject of controversies about the flouting of ecological norms. After
8050-468: The earlier DDA Housing Scheme 2017. The results of the DDA Housing Scheme 2019 were announced in July 2019. The Delhi Development Authority acquires land for development in Delhi. So far, over 64,354.88 acres (260.4350 km ) of land has been acquired with successful development projects on 59,504 acres (240.80 km ) and 30,713.95 acres (124.2949 km ) as residential land. Besides,
8165-547: The event, in New Delhi, India. It began at 19:00 ( IST ) on 3 October. The opening ceremony was directed by Ganapathy Bharat , known commonly as Bharat Bala , an acclaimed Tamil film director, screenwriter and film producer based in Kodambakkam, Chennai . The ceremony featured over 8,000 performers, and lasted for two-and-a-half hours. It is estimated that ₹ 3.50 billion (US$ 77 million) were spent to produce
8280-455: The fact that India has one of the world's largest concentration of poor people . Additionally, several other problems related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games have been highlighted by Indian investigative agencies and media outlets; these include – serious corruption by officials of the Games'. Miloon Kothari, a leading Indian expert on socio-economic development, remarked that the 2010 Commonwealth Games will create "a negative financial legacy for
8395-506: The footbridge was only meant for spectators and not for athletes. Following the collapse, Fennell expressed again the concerns that conditions at the Games Village, which had "shocked the majority", would seriously compromise the entire event. The company that was building the foot bridge, P&R Infraprojects, was subsequently blacklisted by the Delhi Government and was not allowed to get government contracts. Reportedly, progress
8510-719: The games and do so on time. At the launch of the Queen's Baton Relay in October 2009, the Business Club of India (BCI) was formed through the partnership of the organising committee, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry . The BCI was formed to both market the Games and promote Indian business interests internationally. Events took place at 12 competition venues. A total of 20 training venues were used in
8625-481: The games and the construction of the venues were a very behind of the schedule. In August 2010, the Cabinet Secretariat took a decision to appoint 10 officers of the rank of Joint and Additional Secretaries to oversee the progress of the construction of the venues. Each officer is allocated to a venue and given the responsibility to ensure that the work completes in time for the games. Around 10,000 of
8740-436: The games including procurement and awarding contracts for constructing the games infrastructures. The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on 5 August 2010 suspended joint directors T S Darbari and M Jayachandran following the reports of the three-member panel which was probing the financial irregularities related to the Queen's Baton Relay. During the audit process, the Organising Committee treasurer Anil Khanna resigned from
8855-603: The games were at risk of falling behind schedule and that it was "reasonable to conclude that the current situation poses a serious risk to the Commonwealth Games in 2010". A report by the Indian Government released several months prior found that construction work on 13 out of the 19 sports venues was very low and behind schedule. The secretary-general of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Randhir Singh has also expressed his concerns regarding
8970-447: The games). The Queen's Baton Relay began when the baton, which contains Elizabeth II 's message to the athletes, left Buckingham Palace on 29 October 2009. The baton arrived at the 2010 Games opening ceremony on 3 October 2010, after visiting the other 54 nations of the Commonwealth and travelling throughout India, reaching millions of people to join in the celebrations for the Games. The baton arrived in India on 25 June 2010 through
9085-462: The government undertook a large power-production initiative to increase power production to 7000 MW (from the previous 4500 MW). To achieve this the government streamlined the power distribution process, directed additional energy to Delhi, and constructed new power plants. Indian states trained state police forces to handle tourist-related issues and deploy them prior to the Games. A large-scale construction and "beautification" project has resulted in
9200-508: The high-expense Games in India is not justified given that the country had more important priorities facing it, such as education, infrastructure and public health. Nearly 400,000 people from three large slum clusters in Delhi have been relocated since 2004. Gautam Bhan, an Indian urban planner and researcher working in the University of California-Berkeley , said that the 2010 Commonwealth Games have resulted in "an unprecedented increase in
9315-456: The host broadcaster, which includes Doordarshan . In New Zealand , the rights were first won by TVNZ . In September 2009, it was reported that TVNZ were seeking to offload the rights to SKY TV to avoid a NZ$ 5 million loss in the event, and the deal was confirmed in January 2010, backed by the country's government. Although Sky is a pay television broadcaster, they still promised that
9430-486: The late Princess Diana for attending the opening ceremony of the games. The chairman made the blunder at a press conference saying 'Yes, Princess Diana was there,’ after which he immediately corrected himself by saying 'Prince Charles and (Camilla) the Duchess of Cornwall. Australia's chef de mission Steve Moneghetti expressed the frustration of the delegation over the opening ceremony, in which there were claims that
9545-546: The launch of India's very first Hop on Hop Off bus known as HOHO DELHI , modelled on popular concept of transport facilities in Western countries. The bus, which is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies like digital video screens and GPS systems, also had trained guides who were responsible for giving information about the sites. To prepare for the energy-usage spike during the games and to end chronic power cuts in Delhi ,
9660-405: The media often exaggerates them, as Canada found during the 2010 Winter Olympics . He added that "We are coming in full force." On the first night of swimming events, debris landed in the swimming pool, causing delays ahead of a race. It is believed that part of the ceiling or its paint had fallen off. Before the last night of swimming finals, the water filtration system broke down and the pool
9775-510: The members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi , India , from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 4352 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games to date. It was also the largest international multi-sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982 . The opening and closing ceremonies were held at
9890-426: The middle and rich class. She focuses on how, in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, the city's slums were bulldozed in order to make room for shopping malls and expensive real estate. There has been a boom in the number of young girls, mostly from impoverished parts of India, coming to Delhi after being offered jobs by disguised criminals, only to be taken prisoner and forced into sex slavery. The number of victims
10005-419: The multi-sport event, Delhi hosted a very successful Commonwealth Games. It will be a challenge to emulate. There were 71 participating nations at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. As Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth , it was banned from participating in the Games. Rwanda fielded a team for the games for the first time after becoming a Commonwealth member in 2009. The numbers of athletes from each country
10120-556: The open spaces were occupied by migrants. Civic services virtually collapsed. The 2 local bodies at that time, the Delhi Improvement Trust and Municipal Body, were not adequately equipped to cope with the changing scenario. Thus, to plan Delhi and to check its rapid and haphazard growth, the Central Government appointed a Committee under the chairmanship of Sh. G D. Birla in 1950. This Committee recommended
10235-651: The opening ceremony. The Commonwealth Games flag was handed over to representatives of Glasgow , Scotland, which hosted the XX Commonwealth Games in 2014. At the closing ceremony, the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation declared that Delhi had hosted a "truly exceptional Games". A day after the ceremony, Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond stated that Scotland is highly impressed with Delhi's success in holding
10350-616: The post in the wake of allegations that his son's firm had secured a contract for laying the tennis courts. The GlobalPost news agency reports that scandals have come to light, such as "shadowy off-shore firms, forged emails, inexplicable payments to bogus companies and inflated bills – for every purchase from toilet paper to treadmills." Among the alleged corruption and defrauding of the games budget, toilet paper rolls valued at $ 2 were costed at $ 80, $ 2 soap dispensers at $ 60, $ 98 mirrors at $ 220, $ 11,830 altitude training simulators at $ 250,190. In September 2009, CGF chief Mike Fennell reported that
10465-424: The private consortium was fined Rs 112.5 million. Less than two weeks before the opening ceremony, Fennell wrote to the Indian cabinet secretary, urging action in response to the village being "seriously compromised." He said that though team officials were impressed with the international zone and main dining area, they were "shocked" by the state of the accommodation. "The village is the cornerstone of any Games and
10580-502: The property purchase, Janta Housing Registration Scheme which offers house registrations for the economically weaker section category and Ambedkar Awas Yojana allotted Janta, LIG & MIG (lower and middle-income group) category flats to the SC/ST registrants. The residential land is allotted to individual applicants, the farmers whose land is acquired for development and group housing societies through public auction. The 1985 housing scheme
10695-484: The same day, Indian bantamweight boxer Akhil Kumar 's bed in the Games village collapsed when he sat on it. "I sat down on my bed to rest but suddenly it gave way. After that I noticed that part of it has no plywood", he said On 27 September 2010, the South African delegation reported that a snake was present in an athlete room in the Games Village. A day earlier, animal authorities had to be called in to evacuate
10810-461: The secretary general of the Organising Committee, rejected the complaint that sanitation was poor by saying that, due to cultural differences, there are different standards about cleanliness in India and the western world , a statement for which he was widely ridiculed in all over the world. Bhanot went on to say of the athletes' village that, "This is a world-class village, probably one of the best ever." Meanwhile, Pakistan also made reservations over
10925-429: The site of the main Commonwealth stadium have reportedly been issued with hard hats, yet most work in open-toed sandals and live in cramped tin tenements in which illnesses are rife. The High Court of Delhi is presently hearing a public interest petition relating to employers not paying employees for overtime and it has appointed a four-member committee to submit a report on the alleged violations of workers rights. During
11040-448: The smaller monkeys. On the second day of the games, three Ugandan delegates were injured by a malfunctioning security barrier at the games' village, and a senior official from that country raised allegations of discrimination by Indian officials. Uganda's sports minister lashed out at Indian officials and demanded an apology for the accident. The officials had cuts and bruises and were hospitalized overnight for observation. The chairman of
11155-598: The social and environmental consequences of the event. It stated that no tolerance zones for beggars are enforced in Delhi, and the city has arbitrarily arrested homeless citizens under the "Bombay Prevention of Begging Act 1959". Campaigners in India have accused the organisers of enormous and systematic violations of labour laws at construction sites . Human Rights Law Network reports that independent investigations have discovered more than 70 cases where workers have died in accidents at construction sites since work began. Although official numbers have not been released, it
11270-552: The stipulated Delhi state minimum wage of ₹ 152 (US$ 1.80) for eight hours of work. Nearly 50 construction workers have died in the past two years while employed on Games projects. These represent violations of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948; Interstate Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Services) Act 1979, and the constitutionally enshrined fundamental rights per the 1982 Supreme Court of India judgement on Asiad workers. The public have been banned from
11385-442: The table is ordered by the number of gold medals the athletes from a nation have won (in this context, a "nation" is an entity represented by an NOC). The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze medals. If nations are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically by IOC country code. In Boxing two bronze medals were awarded in each weight class. Additionally there
11500-523: The toilets in the athlete's village had caused some drains to become blocked, necessitating action by plumbers to clear the pipes. Australian athletes have been accused of vandalizing the towers of the athletes' village they were staying in by breaking furniture and electrical fittings. Delhi Police did not press the case after the Organizing Committee refused to file a complaint while Indian external affairs minister SM Krishna dismissed it as
11615-406: The venue, he found the venue to be empty.This was also reported during the athletics street events and cycling road races. During his speech at the opening ceremony, the president of the Organizing Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, faced a public embarrassment, when he was booed by spectators at the start of his welcome speech to 80,000 spectators. Kalmadi came under further another strain when he "thanked"
11730-420: The water quality was absolutely fine. During the opening ceremony, some areas of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium field suffered damage. Some areas of the lawn and parts of the track and also the walls needed to be replaced. During the dismantling of the temporary structures, the affected areas were renovated and the lawn was replanted. An Indian newspaper during the games reported that used condoms flushed down
11845-468: Was New Frontiers and Friendships . India shifted the balance in its favour in the second round of voting with a promise that it would provide US$ 100,000 to each participating country, along with air tickets, boarding, lodging and transport. The successful 2003 Afro-Asian Games held in Hyderabad was also seen as having shown that India has the resources, infrastructure and technical know-how to stage
11960-434: Was a scheme for people with low annual incomes. The scheme stated that each person can participate by paying Rs 3000 draft on a DDA account. The total cost of each house was Rs 35000; recipients had to pay the balance of the amount within a few months. The scheme was subject to criticism due to delays and perceived unequal treatment of applicants. After years of dispute, a new policy was instituted in 2019 requiring submission of
12075-418: Was a tie of three athletes for the third place in the women's pole vault in athletics meant that three bronze medals were awarded. Therefore, the total number of bronze medals is greater than the total number of gold or silver medals. * Host nation ( India ) The host broadcast activities were provided by SIS Live, the production house, in partnership with Prasar Bharati ,
12190-411: Was beset by delays: in January 2010, the Indian Olympic Association vice-chairman Raja Randhir Singh expressed concern that Delhi was not up to speed in forming and organising its games committee and, following a 2009 Indian Government report showing two-thirds of venues were behind schedule, Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell stated that the slow progress of preparations represented
12305-491: Was expanded to accommodate more people and boost the use of public transport during the event. The metro has extended to Gurgaon and the Noida area. For this large increase in the size of the network, Delhi Metro had deployed 14 tunnel boring machines . Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) was used to tag vehicles in venue parking lots to help organise mass parking and increase security. Indira Gandhi International Airport
12420-565: Was led by Australia with 74 golds and 177 most medals overall. The host nation India achieved its best performance ever at the Commonwealth Games , finishing second overall by winning 38 golds and 101 total medals. Delhi was selected as the host city of the 2010 Commonwealth Games on 14 November 2003 during the CGF General Assembly in Montego Bay , Jamaica, defeating bid from Hamilton, Ontario , Canada. India's bid motto
12535-419: Was modernised, expanded, and upgraded. Costing nearly $ 1.95 billion, Terminal 3 has increased airport passenger capacity to more than 37 million passengers a year by 2010. A new runway has been constructed, allowing for more than 75 flights an hour. At more than 4400 metres long, it is one of Asia's longest. The airport has been connected to the city via a six-lane expressway ( Delhi–Gurgaon Expressway ) and
12650-741: Was reportedly the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever. A four-lane flyway, 2.2 km (1.4 mi) stretch from Lodhi Road to trans-Yamuna, linking the Games Village to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was constructed which reduced the travelling time between the village and the Stadium to six minutes. In response to concerns over the large number of trains that pass by the Delhi metropolitan region daily, construction of road under-bridges and over-bridges along railway lines have been completed. To expand road infrastructure, flyovers, cloverleaf flyovers, and bridges were built to improve links for
12765-548: Was still slow and four or five towers at the Games village were unfinished, lacking facilities such as wireless internet, fitted toilets and plumbing. In addition, rubble, unused masonry and discarded bricks littered the unfinished gardens. According to sports historian Boria Majumdar, author of the Sellotape Legacy: Delhi and the Commonwealth Games , India "may have to pull a miracle." The father of Australian track cyclist Kaarle McCulloch visited his daughter at
12880-400: Was still unclear if athletes from other nations present in the tower at the time had been responsible. Small monkeys roam Delhi's streets and prefer heavily urbanized areas with plenty of living space among the buildings and cannot be killed because many Indians see them as sacred so instead a larger, domesticated species of monkey, the langur , is brought to the Games Village in to scare away
12995-450: Was the official motorcycle partner as well as the presenting partner of the Queen's Baton Relay . Tata Motors served as the vehicle transport sponsor by providing vehicles and its maintenance services during the Queen's Baton Relay. Swiss watchmaker Tissot was the official timekeeper sponsor of the games. Delhi Development Authority The Delhi Development Authority ( DDA )
13110-413: Was the opening ceremony, which was held in a packed stadium. In a press conference, organising chairman Suresh Kalmadi admitted that there were problems, and blamed empty venues on ticket booths not being set up outside stadiums. Commonwealth Games chief Mike Fennell admitted that many venues had been nearly empty on the opening day of the Games, saying "A number of venues do not have lots of spectators. It
13225-419: Was turbid and murky during the warm-up session and the finals; it was described as the least clear ever seen for a swimming competition until the 2016 Summer Olympics . A disproportionate number of swimmers from Australia and Malaysia fell ill with intestinal infections, leading to concerns over the cleanliness and sanitation of the pool. Early suspicions rested on the quality of water in the swimming pools of
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