Delhi, London and Vancouver are all feeling a bit of buyer?s remorse these days. Respectively hosting the next Commonwealth, Olympic and Winter Games, these are cities that raised national pride cheers when their bids won success in more affluent times. Now that costs have spiralled and finance has become harder to raise, the shadow of rising debt overhangs all cheer. London originally said that the 2012 Games would cost ?2.4bn, but the current budget is ?9.3bn. In Vancouver, it?s feared the $175m security budget alone will rise to $1bn.
When the Indian government approved the 2010 Games bid in 2003, IOA projected an expenditure of Rs 399.05cr. This year, the state government alone has sought Rs 500cr (incidentally close to the new Games Village price tag). And asked for about Rs 2,000cr each for the next two fiscals. Such was the high confidence of earlier times that we thought the Commonwealth bid could be a stepping stone to the 2016 Olympics. How many want that baby now? Olymposceptics are growing strong at the frontrunner Chicago. A city that announced a $469m budget deficit just last month won?t unanimously line up behind new extravagance.
As for progress on the Commonwealth front, the Delhi CM says that she is not satisfied with how various projects are proceeding, but also says she is confident that all things will be in place before the games begin. But this will involve many compromises with the original vision. On the swimming front, for example, plans for a five-pool complex at DU have humbly given way to sticking with the 1982 Asiad venue, Talkatora. Even the latter?s renovation is only 45% complete, but that?s better than the scene at say the Shivaji stadium, whose upgrade is at just the 15% mark. Work on Village housing is about 40% complete. Overall, the government says construction is on schedule. But detailed information is veiled behind various taciturn organisations. A fry cry from the London Games where even venue pictures are regularly updated on the website.
In 1980, the Asiad looked doomed. But stadiums, flyovers, hotels et al emerged in the next 20 months. Then, it was Indira Gandhi who took the helm. We need someone to pull together the controls today too.
renuka.bisht@expressindia.com