Commonwealth ‘embarrassment’ Games 2010 in India?
With less than two months left before the start of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, the event has been embroiled into various controversies with financial mismanagement irking the Indian government against the organizers of the mega event.
The greatest sporting extravaganza in the country in the last three decades is set to take place from the 3rd October in New Delhi. After weeks of protests, deliberation and discussions over the set of issues ruining the Games, the government has finally sprung into action.
Some of the top ranked officials of India's Enforcement Directorate (ED) have initiated proceedings against the members of the Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games in India. Officials have been given the task of ensuring an incident-free event which is set to attract thousands of athletes and fans from across the world.
The Head of the Directorate, T S Darbari took sweeping action by sacking Joint Director General of CWG Organizing Committee, Sanjay Mohindroo.
Besides, the Directorate also suspended Deputy Director General of the Organising Committee - the official who was allegedly involved in financial mismanagement at the time of the Baton Relay Run by the Queen - when the ceremony took place in London.
The proceedings were held at the Delhi Zonal office of ED yesterday and the procedure is set to go on for a few days.
S B Prabhakant, who is the Deputy Director of the Directorate, later told the media that the suspended officials have revealed the details of others involved in the scam and they are all set to be investigated soon.
"They have given us the lead which we have to follow up and we will ask the Organizing Committee (OC) and clarify from the other agencies to," claimed S B Prabhakant.
Prabhakant also disclosed that the Central Vigilance Commission given the task of probing the controversies had found massive discrepancies during the organization of the event.
The biggest concern surrounding the construction at the venues is the substandard work that has been a major concern. Media reports have also informed about the leakages at the stadiums which have truly become the biggest source of embarrassment for India.
Meanwhile Sanjay Mohindroo, the suspended Deputy Director General of the Organizing Committee later told media that the interrogation carried out by the ED centred around the transactions made in London and the excessive expenditure during the promotional event.
"They wanted the details of the transactions that had happened in London in which we were related," said Sanjay Mohindroo.
Additionally, Suresh Kalmadi has written to the CGOC Chairman and federal Sports Secretary Sindhushree Khullar claiming that the people behind the crisis were T S Darbari and Sanjay Mohindroo, the CGOC's Director General and Deputy Director General, respectively.
The duo has been charged for their financial misconduct at the time of the inauguration of the Queen's Baton Relay which was held almost two years ago.
The main concern is the payments made to AM Films worth a staggering £450,000 for the event management and production services during the launch event in England. The procedure has been declared as one without genuine paperwork which is a requirement. After the chaos, it remains to be seen as to what India dishes out to the rest of the world during the 12 day sporting embarrassment or extravaganza.
The Games will become the biggest sporting event in the sub-continent since the Asian Games held in 1982.
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