'Steps taken to improve condition at Games Village'

In the wake of growing criticism of facilities at the Commonwealth Games Village, Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar today said a number of steps have been taken to improve the condition and that authorities are "on top of the situation" there.

"I think they are working in full steam and we are in constant touch with them. I think they will be on top of the situation," he told reporters here.

In a meeting called by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna on Tuesday, a decision was taken to appoint a Chief Engineer to ensure uninterrupted power supply at the Games' Village and deploy one officer each as in-charge of the residential towers for cleanliness and maintenance works, he said.
    
Along with the Cabinet Secretary, the meeting was attended by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T K A Nair, Delhi Chief Secretary and officials of the Delhi Development Authorities.
    
The Cabinet Secretary said for keeping the Games Village clean, the similar cleaning equipment available at the newly-built Terminal-3 of the IGI airport are being used and and the MCD has also deployed additional 100-200 people.
    
Chandrashekhar said initial reaction of the foreign delegates about Games' Village was positive but now the problem area was about the residential towers and "that too only some of them, which will be addressed".
    
Asked if the issues would be resolved in time, he said, "People are already working overtime. We have been constrained by rains as after a long time, so much rainfall is happening in the month of September. But hopefully the rains will stop in a day or two."
    
The Cabinet Secretary's comments came a day after the Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Executive Mike Hooper termed the Games Village as "filthy and uninhabitable". Besides delegates from New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ireland also had raised serious concerns regarding the hygiene there.
    
CGF President Michael Fennell had criticised the Organising Committee for the mess and said he had written a letter to the Cabinet Secretary raising concerns about the athletes' accommodation.