- A footbridge being built for the Commonwealth Games in India collapsed on Tuesday, injuring 27 people and highlighting the raft of problems that have so far blighted the event, meant to showcase the emerging global power.
-- 27 injured in bridge collapse
Preparations for next month's Commonwealth Games, intended to be the coming out party for India the Olympics were for China, are down to the wire and the event risks descending into farce. The shooting of two foreign visitors by suspected militants in Delhi on Sunday has combined with a dengue fever epidemic, heavy monsoon rains, delayed construction, graft scandals and traffic chaos to give the Games that sinking feeling.
Police said the collapsed bridge was just outside the main stadium, putting India's sometimes lax construction standards again in the spotlight. Concerns over security and health forced discus world champion Dani Samuels of Australia to pull out of the Games, another blow to organisers at pains to assure participants of complete safety.
Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell said on Tuesday the two-week event, starting October 3, was seriously compromised by conditions at the Games village that have "shocked the majority." But officials remained upbeat. "I am as confident and as cool as ever about our organising. These are all minor hiccups," Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy told reporters.
Dismal preparations have, for many, underscored the out-of-touch, slow-paced leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Congress government, raising questions how a graft-ridden, inefficient state can hope to compete with China. The Games village and security - construction delays mean venues have been locked down by police only two weeks before the Games - are the two major weakness of the Games, Majumdar said.
The athletes' training centre was still to be fitted out. The water in the training and recreational swimming pools was dirty, with insect larvae breeding on the surface. Organisers say there is no question the Games will be put off, but the nightmare is that one delegation exits and that leads to an avalanche. And the problems are not receding.
With the $6 billion Games way behind schedule, there have been worries stagnant puddles in construction sites have proved breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Hundreds of Delhi residents are hospitalised in one of the worst dengue epidemics in years. With costs running 17 times more than original estimates, the government's anti-corruption watchdog identified 16 projects with suspect financing.
The insistence to hold the Games in October has led to some athletes pulling out due to conflicts with Olympic qualifiers. October also means the opening ceremony may be ruined by rains. Triple Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica is the most high profile of a bunch of top athletes who have decided to skip the event.
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