“I take up the responsibility for Commonwealth Games fuss” says Suresh Kalmadi
The chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee, Suresh Kalmadi faced some criticism from the media personnel’s, however, he accepted moral responsibility for the fuss ahead of the competition.
"I am the chairman of Organising Committee, and I will take all the responsibility. There is no issue. But I wish the venues were handed to us a little earlier," he told in a press conference on Saturday.
He also accepted the fact that the secretary general of the Organising Committee Lalit Bhanot's statements about hygienic standards between locals and the rest were avoidable.
Suresh, who was seated along with the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Mike Fennell and Mike Hooper who is the CEO, said that still a lot of work has to be done. However, he was quite confident that all arrangements will be made prior to the
opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on October 3rd 2010.
Moreover, he also sidestepped the problem when he was asked whether he feels that CGF bosses and Fennell are squarely putting all the blame on the organising committee.
"I don't think he has pointed fingers at the OC. The developer has to hand the venues over to OC and then it is our responsibility. As far as the Games Village is concerned, 18 towers were handed to us and we completed the work on time. The rest 18 were handed
over late and that what the problem is," he added.
Suresh sought to blame a couple of agencies who were given the rights for renovation and construction of the Games village as well as the Stadiums.
"Contrary to popular belief that OC had the right to spend Rs 30-40,000 crores on the organisation, we only had Rs 1,600 crore allotted. The rest was taken care by the government and Indian Olympic Association. Everyone had fixed responsibilities. Our job
was to ensure that the athletes of all countries would reach safely, ensure that their safety is comfortable," said Suresh.
While commenting on the security concerns Suresh said that issues such as the firing incident of the Jama Masjid last Sunday has nothing to do with their preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and assured that the athletes will be provided with
100% security as they have also taken the help of army in this regard.
He explained that there will be two Police patrol cars one in front and the other behind every side’s bus while taking them from the airport to their accommodation area. An armed police officer will also be present inside the bus.
Tags: