Commonwealth Games Preparation in India

Once India won the bid for hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010, it started working on its nitty-gritty. New Delhi being the hosting city required lots of cosmetic changes to fit into a city which can hold a big sporting event. Public transporting facilities, hotel rooms, lack of sporting infrastructure, etc. were some genuine problems which required a necessary solution. Moreover, India’s prestige was in question i.e. whether it would be able to organize the event or not.

Hotels in Commonwealth Games 2010 New Delhi

A number of hotels have come up, particularly in last two years to serve the purpose of offering accommodation facilities to travelers and officials who would come with athletes in Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Existing luxury hotels such as Park Royal, Taj Palace, Imperial, Inter Continental, Le-Meridien, The Oberoi, Taj Mahal, Maurya Sheraton, Grand Hyatt, Radisson, etc. would offer attractive accommodation facilities and amenities to travelers during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

There are two kinds of preparations going on, the first one is related to sporting infrastructure and the second one is related to city infrastructure at large. As for, sporting infrastructure, though the city has held two Asian Games, it does possess a sound sporting infrastructure; however, the old infrastructure was in dilapidated form and required revamping. Similarly, new stadiums and sports complexes were required to hold new events which were not the part of game in Asian Games.

Secondly, the infrastructure of New Delhi required lots of work in terms of beautification, empowerment of public transportation system, decongestion of roads by Metro, widening of roads, and many others. Metro would link the Commonwealth Games Village with Jawaharlal Lal Nehru Stadium by a four-lane, 2.2 km underground stretch from Lodhi Road to trans-Yamuna. It will not only lessen the discomfort of traveling but also reduce travelling time between the Village and the Stadium to six minutes.

Preparation for Commonwealth Games 2010

Understanding the problems related to commutation, construction of road under-bridges and over-bridges along railway lines were felt suitable. Moreover, expansion of road infrastructure, flyovers, cloverleaf flyovers, etc. is being felt necessary. With numerous flyovers and widening of roads, traffic somewhat has improved yet a lot is required to do. National highways are being expanded vigorously to remove constraints on smooth traffic.

Public transport facilities are lifeline of any city and New Delhi tends to suffer from the lack of sound public transport facility. In order to enhance road transport services, nine corridors have been identified where High Capacity Bus Systems would ply. However, it is the Delhi Metro which seems to have given some respite from heavy traffic jams in the city. It is being expanded from Delhi to Noida and Delhi to Gurgaon.

Delhi Metro offers excellent ride and at 420 km long, it can be considered one of the world's longest networks. There are more than one dozen tunnel boring machines which work toward ensuring the smooth functioning of the Delhi Metro. Similarly, Indira Gandhi International Airport is being modernized, expanded, and upgraded so that travelers do not face congestions during peak time. A new runway has been developed for better air traffic management.

In order to help travelers, sport persons, media professionals, government agencies started English teaching program for auto drivers. Volunteers are being asked for help. A partnership with civilians is being developed for successful organization of the sporting event. Moreover, government agencies are requesting common people to come up with their efforts so that New Delhi can hold the even in successful manner.