Commonwealth 2010 in Delhi: the uncommon dividends

•A complete infrastructure of stadiums covering most sports: Nehru Stad...



			The sporting merits may still be up for debate, but there are few doubts that the Commonwealth Games 2010, to be held in Delhi, could mean a radical makeover for the national capital. And anyone who has seen Delhi before the 1982 Asiad will say amen to that. Here’s a sample: WHAT APPU BROUGHT IN: •A complete infrastructure of stadiums covering most sports: Nehru Stadium, Talkatora pool, IG Indoor, DLTA… •The Asiad Village, which now houses the city’s affluent middle-class •Other events, once the world recognised that India could host a major do. The NAM conference followed the next year, CHOGM a year after that . • The first set of flyovers, marking a revolution in the city’s traffic system • Colour TV, so everyone can remember the games opening ceremony WHAT’S BEEN PROMISED FOR 2010: NEW STADIUMS: The Yamuna Sports Complex will have two arenas, each seating 7,000, for boxing and weightlifting BETTER OLD STADIUMS: All the existing stadiums will be upgraded. And, as this paper highlighted recently, what’s needed is not so much a facelift as reconstructive surgery ANOTHER GAMES VILLAGE: Near the Swaminarayan Temple complex in East Delhi, it will house 8,500 athletes and officials and will also eventually be sold to the public MORE OF THE METRO: The best news, if you live across the river: the capital’s newest pride will be extended up to the Games Village to give athletes easy access to the venues SMOOTH SURFACE: The bid documents are short on specifics but long on wider roads, more flyovers, a mass transit system, better pavements — R Ramachandran.