No need to push the panic button: Kalmadi

Delhi's Chief Minister is nervous about the hosting of Commonwealth Games in the capital but the event's organising committee head Suresh Kalmadi assures that all is well with the preparations despite umpteen delays.

In an interview to PTI, Kalmadi claimed that Delhi will host the Games more successfully than Manchester (2002) and Melbourne (2006).

"There is no need to push the panic button. We are going to have the best ever Commonwealth Games. I would like to assure the entire country that all the pending work would be completed within the set deadlines. The Delhi Games would be better than Melbourne and Manchester," Kalmadi, who is also the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), said.

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit had recently created a flutter by saying that she was nervous about the preparation and was praying to god for a successful Commonwealth Games.

Kalmadi, however, brushed aside the concerns.

"That you have to ask her. From my side I can assure, we won't let you down. We are working harder collectively towards achieving our goal," he said.

The under-fire Kalmadi, who has faced all-round criticism for delays in construction work at the Games' venues and some public relations gaffes, said the success of the event would also reflect in India's performance. 

"When I say that Delhi will host the most successful Games, it includes our performance and not just the organisational capacity", Kalmadi said.

"I hope that we will be in top four. The Central government has alloted Rs 678 crore for training, which is a huge amount. The preparations are on the right track and we are hoping for the best results," he assured.

Coordinating the functioning of multiple agencies involved in the preparations is a massive task but Kalmadi insists that the challenge has been met successfully.

"I have got a good team and I call it Team India, which includes the central government, the Delhi government, sports ministry and of course the IOA. We enjoy full support of the Commonwealth Games Federation," he said.

Detailing the timeline for the completion of three major venues for the event, Kalmadi said the re-set deadlines would be met.

"Only Nehru Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremony will be held, National Stadium, the venue for hockey, and the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee swimming complex are behind schedule," he stated.

"As far as the Nehru Stadium is concerned, we have some additional work because of the opening and closing ceremonies. But it would be ready be June end. The National stadium will be ready by the end of this month and our hockey team will practice there from February 1 for the FIH World Cup. Once the infrastructure gets ready people will forget about these controversies and nobody will have an opportunity to point fingers at us," he said.