Treat Games like national festival, PM urges citizens

Concerned over the lack of excitement surrounding the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which are just a month-and-a-half away, the Prime Minister during his Independence Day speech urged citizens to treat the games as a national festival.

Concerned over the lack of excitement surrounding the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which are just a month-and-a-half away, the Prime Minister during his Independence Day speech urged citizens to treat the games as a national festival.

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Confident that the games would be a proud moment for India, the PM said that the countrymen should leave no stone unturned to make the games a success.

“The successful organisation of Commonwealth Games would be another signal to the world that India is rapidly marching ahead with confidence,” the PM said.

With a series of controversies, including corruption allegations, rocking the games preparations, the general buzz surrounding the Games is lacking. Launch of various promotional activities planned around the games have either been put off or delayed.

The PM’ s intervention is seen as an attempt to not only salvage the Games preparations, which have dithered, but also enthuse the citizens to support and celebrate the Games.

Taking control of the situation, the PM on Saturday gave overriding powers to the Group of Ministers headed by Union Urban development Minister S Jaipal Reddy and the Committee of Secretaries to take charge of the games.

Taking a strong view of the corruption allegations against the Suresh Kalmadi-led Organising Committee and civic agencies implementing games project, the PM in Saturday had also directed all ministries involved in the preparation of the Games to conduct thorough investigations into all complaints and give severe and exemplary punishment to those found guilty.