Sheila Dikshit visits Commonwealth Games village

A day after her government was directed by Union cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar to take charge of the Commonwealth Games village, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit today stock of maintenance and cleanliness facilities at the complex in New Delhi today.

The handing over of the village in east Delhi to Delhi government came after criticism over poor maintenance and filthy conditions at the village complex where sports persons would be staying.

The maintenance of the Games village was till now under the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) which is under direct control of the Union urban development ministry.

A senior Delhi government official said the chief minister took round of all the towers and reviewed the work being undertaken there.

"She instructed the officials to work on a war-footing to ensure cleanliness to ensure that athletes do not face any problem. She said the job should be in close coordination with the organising committee," the official said.

As per direction by the Union cabinet secretary, the CWG organising committee will be the overall in-charge of the Games village while Delhi government will look after the issues of maintenance and cleanliness.

Already 40 DANIPS (Delhi, Nicobar and Andaman Island Police Service) officers have been deployed in the Games village and if required, more officials will be put into service.

Cleanliness and maintenance of the Games Village has come under sharp criticism from foreign participants as well as Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper who recently described the facility as "filthy and unimaginable".

Concerned over the unhygienic conditions at the Games Village, Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael Fennell had shot off a letter to the Cabinet Secretary asking him to take immediate steps to fix the deficiencies in the residential zone of the Village, which he said has "shocked" advance parties from New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ireland.