Commonwealth Games organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi had already ordered an emergency executive board meeting for this week when local media reported he'd been asked by India's sports ministry to remove his director general T.S. Darbari and deputy director general Sanjay Mohindroo.
In a letter to Kalmadi, Sports Secretary Sindhushree Khullar asked Kalmadi to take action after the names of the two high-ranking organizing committee members figured in the investigations into “alleged irregularities” related to the Queen's Baton Relay in London, the Press Trust of India reported Tuesday.
“Matters such as the UK payments and alleged customs inquiry against Darbari raise questions of probity and integrity,” Khullar wrote in the letter Sunday, according to PTI. “They tarnish the image of the Games and adversely affect its credibility ... I would strongly advise you that the two officers should be immediately relieved of all their duties.” The organizers have been under pressure for more than a year since it became apparent that delays in construction meant none of the games venues would be finished before deadline. With infrastructure projects around the city also well behind schedule, the Indian capital is involved in a race against time to be ready to host the Oct. 3-14 Commonwealth Games - the biggest sporting event here since the 1982 Asian Games.
India's Central Vigilance Commission has issued a report highlighting concerns regarding building practices and potential problems surrounding the certifying of the work.
PTI reported that the sports ministry had asked for Darbari's removal from the organizing committee's revenue and marketing units in February due to a customs matter, but Kalmadi had rejected the request.
On Saturday, Kalmadi faced a news conference to reject allegations of wrongdoing in the organizing committee's payments to a small London-based company for services including car hire, portable toilets and road barriers during the launch of the games' torch relay in London last October.
“I am deeply pained by totally unfounded and baseless allegations,” Kalmadi said, adding that he planned to start defamation action against a TV channel.
Kalmadi has reportedly called an emergency meeting for Thursday to discuss the corruption allegations at the behest of leading officials, including Indian Olympic Association secretary general Randhir Singh, who described the situation as “grave.” The Commonwealth Games Federation has asked for clarification following the release of the negative report by the Indian government's anti-corruption watchdog and signs that some venues are already showing signs of construction faults.
“We are concerned about the implication of the CVC report indeed. We have written to the OC following the release of the report, basically saying that we need assurances from the venue owners ... that all venues are fully compliant with Government of India laws,” CGF chief executive Mike Hooper was quoted as saying. “Certainly it is of concern and if there are immediate works that need to be done ...
they must do it in the next 60 days.” But Hooper stressed that the organizers should be “concentrating on delivering the Games.” He later told Australian media that there were no contingency plans if a games venue is deemed unsafe.
“The answer is no at this stage,” Hooper told the Australian Associated Press. “I don't want to pre-empt whatever report we may get because that's speculation we don't need.
“Clearly we want an assurance that the venues are fit for purpose and safe. We want to see the documentation.” His comments followed a report in The Australian newspaper in which national field hockey coach Ric Charlesworth said the CGF was “very naive” if they continue to believe the assurances from New Delhi organizers.
Charlesworth said even if the competition arenas were finished, other preparations would not be completed on time.
“Forget about the venues, we have to live in the village.
And my experience says that it won't be finished,” Charlesworth was quoted as saying in a back page report.
“My concern is that we will get there and have people stuck on the 15th floor with no working lifts, no air conditioning, electricity going on and off, no water in the taps and poor sewerage.” Australia's Commonwealth Games chief Perry Chrosswhite said reports of the construction defects were likely being inflamed by political wrangling in India, although he was preparing athletes for what to expect.
“Some of the finishing will not be of the standard we have normally,” Crosswhite told The Australian. “But we always knew it would be that way and we have told our athletes to expect that.”
