CWG: How showpiece turned shocker-New Delhi, September 25, 2010

CWG: How showpiece turned shocker

New Delhi, September 25, 2010

(SINCE YESTERDAY MORNING I STARTED SEARCHING NEWS ON CWG,AND FOUND ONLY ONE NEWS BIT POSITIVE,BUT BY EVENING THERE WERE MANY MORE!!!...I HOPE NEWS HEADLINES ARE REFLECTING TRUTHS OF GROUND REALITIES. IF YOU SHOW FLIP SIDES TO PUT PRESSUES TO GET WORK DONE IN FASTER PACE,AS NOTHING DONE HERE WITHOUT 'HALLA-GULLA',MUST SHOW POSITIVE SIDES ALSO,AS IT HELPS BUILDING POSITIVE MOODS AND UPBEATS -THE MOMENTUN,LIKE THE DAYS OF FOOTBALL WORLD CUP,INSTEAD OF MAKING PEOPLE 100% CYNICAL.GOOD WISHES TO EVERYONE,AND OUR COUNTRY...SO AS THANKS TO RAIN GOD!! AND BEST WISHES TO FLOOD VICTIMS,AS I SAW FOOTAGE ABOUT THEM,WHICH ARE REALLY DISHEARTENING.SO AS NEWS ABOUT 7 BABY ELEPHANTS)

The tsunami unleashed by the Commonwealth Games earthquake seems to have reached distant New York as well. Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh and external affairs minister S. M. Krishna, who are attending the UN General Assembly session, have been forced on the back foot by the reports of the poor state of preparedness.

"It is pretty depressing to read such things in the international media. India's image has taken a beating," Ramesh told Headlines Today. "I hope we come out of this soon. We are among the fastest growing economies. We could have done without this embarrassment," he added.

Krishna, on the other hand, said he would do all he could to reassure leaders of the Commonwealth nations about the CWG. "If there are any misgivings, we will certainly try to set them right," Krishna said. According to the ministry of external affairs officials, the media storm unleashed by the reports of poor hygiene, collapsed bridges and other shortcomings have indeed dented India's image around the world, " incredible India" has been reduced to " incredulous India". The Games had been billed as India's coming out parade, a mini version of China's spectacular entry parade in the form of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Union government poured in a vast amount of money into the effort, a steroid boost that would have added muscle to the Capital city in a short time. Unfortunately, the reverse seems to have happened.

India's image has taken a severe beating and the failure to execute the Games projects in time and with "world-class" quality, despite a great deal of boasting, has now boomeranged.

The pictures of dirty toilets at the Games Village and the collapsed bridge have dented the already fragile self- esteem of this rising nation. " The commentary in our newspapers is certainly not flattering," acknowledged a South- east Asian diplomat posted in New Delhi, somewhat diplomatically refusing to say more.

A Scandinavian ambassador said the Commonwealth issue had affected India's image adversely, coming as it does with the developments in Kashmir.

"The only thing going for India is that the news from other places is often gloomier," the envoy said.

What has struck many diplomats stationed in New Delhi is the casual approach that has been taken till the last minute by the Union government.

"Surely if the country's prestige was at stake, there should have been much better higher management," a European ambassador said.

An Arab ambassador, however, pointed out that it was not the dirty toilets and collapsed bridge that mattered so much as the security scare arising from the incident in which two Taiwanese visitors were shot at in the Jama Masjid area last Sunday.

"The western countries are making a big fuss about the preparations because they do not want to anger India by pointing to the issue of security," he maintained.

For some time now the government has been grumbling about the massive cost overruns and the people had taken the construction mess in their stride.

But as the countdown to the Games began about a month or so ago, it became clear that the country had been shortchanged, and how. The ignominy of having Indian hygiene habits discussed in the world media, and having our vaunted economic might being juxtaposed against the collapsed footbridge has been humiliating to all Indians, whether they live in the country or abroad.

Given the fact that the Games would have showcased India to the Commonwealth, if not the world, it is surprising that the Union government did not play a more hands- on role in managing the Games. In the case of the 1982 Asian Games, for example, no less a person than Rajiv Gandhi, the then general secretary of the Congress, was asked to supervise the preparations.

Given his clout he was able to cut through many of the problems that dogged the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee this time round.

The government only got involved at the last minute when it appeared that the Games were headed for a train- wreck.

Considering it was the main financier of the Games, the government should have also been its main supervisor. As of now, the Games are teetering on the edge. Hopefully, there will be no more major glitches in the run up to the event. But a lot of equipment and systems there would not have had enough time to be tested. Any major setback is bound to only add to the collective pain of the country.

As for the image, it will take some time to undo the damage caused by the poor management and execution of a mega project, something that a rising India should have taken in its stride.