Meant to showcase India as a world class sporting venue, the Commonwealth Games could end up being an unforgettable embarrassment for the country given the shoddy build-up which has turned host city Delhi into a giant construction site.
Tons and tons of rubble are piled on pavements as civic agencies race against time to finish the so-called beautification drive, while the Games' venues present an equally grim picture of promises that were made when the hosting rights were won amid much fanfare in 2003.
It's the biggest sporting extravaganza to come to India after the 1982 Asian Games but the preparations have been shockingly lax with little over two months left before athletes from 71 nations land in New Delhi.
But the Organising Committee and its chairman Suresh Kalmadi have not missed any opportunity to insist that everything would be on time and Delhi would host the "best Commonwealth Games ever".
"All infrastructure would be ready on time and there is nothing to worry," was Kalmadi's most recent assurance after reports of massive corruption rocked the Games.
However, one look at the venues is enough to raise doubts about these claims.
Already behind schedule, the construction woes have been further compounded by monsoon showers.
The Talkatora Stadium, Karni Singh Shooting Range and Yamuna Sports Complex have a look of unpreparedness despite being inaugurated by no less then Sports Minister M S Gill.
With just two months to go for the October 3-14 event, the anxiety level is soaring and chances of stadiums being ready on time seeming increasingly dim.
At the Talkatora Stadium, which has been renamed S P Mukherjee complex, loose tiles and grills, scattered iron rods, unfinished staircases and rubble outside the gates remind of India's failure to meet construction deadlines which were revised several times.
Labourers are working non-stop to get things done at the venue, built at a cost of Rs 175 crore.
The flooring of the passage into the area, is in a mess with tiles lying broken. The dressing room of athletes looks more like a storage room with the ceiling missing, and pipes and cables lying unattended above it.
The railings, which are yet to be welded, are lying on the floor. Cables, which are strewn around, add to the chaos.
As for the Karni Singh Shooting Range at Kadarpur, a few spells of rain had left the area in a dilapidated state.
And on Saturday also, one downpour was all it took to flood the range. The corridor and floors were slippery, making it impossible to walk.
Debris are lying on the site with soggy soil adding to the unkempt look.
Labourers could still be seen working on various embankments on the range which was damaged due to the incessant rains on the night of July 4 and 7.
The chain-linked fences have come down at various places. The construction work at the ranges started on October 25, 2008 with a financial projection of Rs 150 crore and the organisers claimed to have finished it months ago.
But the monsoon has exposed the shoddy manner in which the work was done.
Finally, the Yamuna Sports Complex, the main competition venue for Table Tennis and Archery events in Vivek Vihar. It's hard to believe the Organising Committee's claim that the complex is complete.
Work is still on in the main stadium with pipes lying along the corners and unused tiles all over the place.
The false ceiling of the complex had collapsed on July 13 and workers can be seen repairing the roof.
The complex which was inaugurated way back in March by the Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy is still struggling to meet the deadlines.
Outside the complex, dug-up roads create a scene of chaos with metal pipes, bricks and other rubbish littering the entry to the stadium.
Inside, the roof hasn't been completed with Delhi Development Authority officials and engineers still grappling on how to actually design it.
The complex has previous were missed completion deadlines in December 2009, March and June 2010 and now the latest August 2010.
One thing common at all the three venues was media ban. Security was tight and officials concerned with the stadiums were the only ones allowed in.
"No still photographers and TV camera crew allowed," a security guard posted at the S P Mukherjee Swimming Complex said.
