Security, dengue, flood fear threatens to swamp Commonwealth Games

Less than two weeks remain for the Commonwealth Games, but organisers are struggling to steady the frayed nerves of athletes, delegates and visitors over security, flood and dengue.

Union tourism minister Kumari Selja has appealed to tourists not to panic and said India is a safe destination. Even though authorities are worried, they are putting a brave face. No one from the organising committee, the central government or the Delhi government is willing to acknowledge that it is jittery. “The shooting was not targeted at the Games,” Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the Games organising committee, said. “All security measures for athletes and tourists are well taken care of,” he said.

India was expecting nearly one lakh tourists to turn up for the event, but experts say that looks unlikely. What’s more, the firing on two Taiwan students near Jama Masjid may further hit tourist inflow. “Booking have not picked up at all. We hope the scenario changes in the next few days or hoteliers will suffer,” Rajinder Kumar, president of Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Association of India said.

The spread of dengue has also left authorities worried. A total of 75 new cases were reported, taking Delhi’s dengue count to 2,371. If this isn’t enough, floods have added to the worries.

Government ministers met on Monday to review the mess that has been caused after 7.5 lakh cusecs of water was discharged from Hathanikund barrage in Haryana. Seventy-five boats have been kept ready to rescue people from low-lying areas.