Sheila seeks PM’s help on projects for Games

With a little over two years remaining for the Commonwealth Games, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit now finds two obstacles for the smooth completion of projects — Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) and the Technical Committee of the DDA.

In a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Dikshit said the present mechanism and progress in the field may not be adequate in achieving the objective of staging the Games.

Dikshit wants a fast track mechanism for speedy clearance of the projects, similar to that of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. “DMRC does not await statutory clearances from DUAC,” the CM said.

As the projects are being delayed and questions are being raised on the ability of the city to host the Games, Dikshit has sought the PM’s intervention for the constitution of a Coordination Committee to monitor and expedite implementation of the projects. The CM has suggested that a senior bureaucrat should head this committee. The members would be the Delhi Chief Secretary, secretaries of the central government, representatives of PM’s office and heads of local bodies — DDA, MCD and NDMC. The CM has asked that this committee be empowered to relax rules and procedures and issue directions to statutory authorities for granting clearances.

The Delhi government has also requested the PM to set up three Empowered Committees (EC) to assist the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Commonwealth Games. These would be ECs on infrastructure, culture and sports.

The EC on infrastructure would have Union Minister for Finance or Commerce as Chairperson.

The EC on Culture would be under the Union Minister of Culture. This committee would look into the opening and closing ceremonies and other cultural events as well as arrange guides, volunteers etc. The third would be the EC on Sports under Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports.