*
It has been seven years in the planning and has cost up to £1billion, but the Commonwealth Games, due to be held in New Delhi next month, were plunged into crisis today when a footbridge near the main stadium collapsed.
Five labourers who were working on the 100m Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium footbridge were critically injured in the accident and were taken to the nearby Safdarjung Hospital.
Preparations for the Games, which start on October 3, have been beset with problems, including security fears, athlete withdrawals and today stern criticism of the facilities in the athletes' village.
* Competing countries worried by 'unsafe and unfit for human habitation'
* Security fears raised after shootings of tourists
* Australian discus thrower first athlete to pull out due to security worries
* Australian film crew able to enter stadium with bomb kit undetected
Bridge collapsed Commonwealths in India under serious threat.
Scotland, New Zealand and Canada had already raised concerns about the standard of the accommodation and today England joined the chorus of countries worried at how badly preparations are going.
Team leaders from England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and Canada have all expressed 'grave concerns' over the accommodation for the 6,500 team members.
And they said some parts of the Village were 'unsafe and unfit for human habitation' and Games federation chief executive Mike Hooper labelled the conditions 'filthy'.
Australian champion discus thrower Dani Samuels, who won the gold medal in the World Championships last year, has become the first athlete to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games because of her concerns over her safety and health in Delhi.
Miss Samuels, 32, told Australian team officials today that she was worried about her security after an attack on two tourists - and she was also concerned about her health because of a recent outbreak of dengue fever.
Meanwhile, an Australian television news crew were able to carry a case for an explosives detonation kit into the stadium without being stopped.
The case could have triggered up to 200 explosions if it had been fitted with a detonator.
Footage broadcast late on Monday showed reporter Mike Duffy easily walking into the cordoned off area with the oversized, wheeled suitcase when a gate was opened to allow a police convoy through.
'Patrol cars drive in, I slip through,' he says in a voiceover. 'While they’re distracted by their own cars, I breeze in with an oversized suitcase.
'There are dozens of police. But nobody asks me what it’s for. And this is no ordinary piece of luggage.
'It’s a portable, purpose-built casing for a remote detonation kit. The unit is capable of setting off 200 explosions.'
Duffy had earlier secretly filmed the purchase of the case from the boot of a car in a restaurant car park north of New Delhi.
'If I need to blow up this car, all I need further is a detonator and explosive,' the vendor tells Duffy.
The news crew said they were easily able to obtain both items, including ammonium nitrate and explosives used for mining, within a day’s drive of New Delhi.
Organisers of the Games have promised the event will be safe, but Australia issued another warning about safety on Monday, saying there was a 'high risk' of an attack in New Delhi.
The Commonwealth Games Federation has asked the Indian government to take urgent steps to improve conditions at the athletes' village.
Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell has admitted that the village is 'seriously compromised' and has written to the Indian Cabinet Secretary expressing his 'great concern'.
He said: 'The village is the cornerstone of any Games and the athletes deserve the best possible environment to prepare for their competition.
'Many nations that have already sent their advanced parties to set up within the village have made it abundantly clear that, as of the afternoon of September 20, the Commonwealth Games village is seriously compromised.'
Commonwealth Games England released a statement earlier today which read: 'There is a lot still to be done in the Village and this needs to be done with some urgency so that it is ready for the arrival of our first athletes on Friday.'
And England Commonwealth Games boss Craig Hunter said: 'There is mud everywhere, where we are there is a lot of remedial work to be done but the days of monsoon rain have delayed the work and there are new challenges that have been revealed around the village.
'There is unsafe electrical equipment in some rooms, in some areas there are plumbing issues, things like doors not fitting properly and one of the walls adjacent to our accommodation which has washing machines has not been plumbed in. On the top floor there is no secure barrier and it needs to be boxed in to become safe.
'Since our first inspection, monsoon weather has highlighted a number of different issues which need to be addressed including plumbing, electrical and other operational details.'
Michael Cavanagh, chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, expressed his concerns, too, and told the BBC: 'Very soon, 6,500 people from 61 countries will be coming and we have real concerns about whether they can be accommodated.
'The problem is that there are other aspects, not just the accommodation, there are parts of the Athletes' Village that aren't functioning.
'We've been told there are piles of rubble lying around the village. They have a very short space of time so we hope the Indian government will put real pressure on the organisers.
'The Delhi organising committee are running out of time and they need to do it very, very quickly.'
Cavanagh said there were a series of meetings happening in Delhi today that there was a possible 'Plan B' but would not give details.
New Zealand chef de mission Dave Currie confirmed the facilities were below standard.
He told Newstalk ZB: 'The way things are looking, it's not up to scratch. The rea
lity is that if the village is not ready and athletes can't come, the implications are that it's not going to happen. It is unacceptable from the organising committee that they have put athletes through this.'
Fennell said that the high security measures at the Games mean work which ought to have been in place is taking longer to complete.
He added: 'Since the nations have been arriving at the village they have all commented favourably on the appearance of the international zone and the main dining area.
'However, the condition of the residential zone has shocked the majority of CGAs that are in Delhi and, despite their attempts to work with the organising committee in a constructive manner since arriving on September 15, significant operational matters remain un-addressed.
'The problems are arising because deadlines for the completion of the village have been consistently pushed out. Now, the high security around the site, while vital, is slowing progress and complicating solutions.'
Wales chef de mission Chris Jenkins said impressive progress has been made with his team's accommodation but there are still major concerns for other teams.
Jenkins said: 'We have been working closely with the Delhi organising committee to resolve the issues we faced on first inspection of our tower and while there has been impressive progress made, we also still feel there are a number of operational issues that need to be addressed.
'We are in a good position because we came out early to set up. Therefore, we have had time to improve the standard of our building. Our major concern is for other countries yet to arrive.
'Many of these will arrive with athletes and face a village that is compromised. Wales and the other countries here call on the Delhi Organising Committee and the Indian Government to increase their efforts to rectify these problems.'
Another security alarm was raised on Sunday when two Taiwanese tourists were injured in a shooting incident near the Jama Masjid mosque. The busload of Taiwanese tourists were fired at by a person riding pillion on a motorcycle.
An Islamist group called the Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack.
0 comments:
Post a Comment