Letters: Olympian problems

In “Say no” (October 16), T N Ninan has taken a very sensible stand on why India should not compete with Beijing, which spent $40 billion (Rs 1,80,000) on Olympics in 2008. Those who compare India with China conveniently forget that when it comes to infrastructure, India is nowhere close to China. Also, Delhi as a city is not equipped to handle events like Olympics. The exact size of Delhi’s slum population is a bit of a hit-and-miss guess. Of the total population of 20 million (National Capital Region), 52 per cent people live in slums, according to an estimate. Despite all the tall talk about Delhi’s infrastructure, the city ranks 150 in Mercer’s listing of the world’s most livable cities. So by showcasing our poverty and filth, we will only disgrace the nation in the process.

M M Gurbaxani, Bangalore

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