Delhi bridge collapse hinders Games plans

A footbridge under construction in India for the Commonwealth Games collapsed on Tuesday, injuring 27 workers as preparations are underway for the opening of the games in a fortnight. The structure, a 90-metre steel arch supporting a footbridge, fell just outside the main Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi. Officials arriving on the site said they were shocked at the state of the facilities.

Reuters

Four of the injured workers are in a critical condition. Correspondent Vikram Roy says this is not the first such accident; other, smaller mishaps have gone unreported.

"The opposition parties as well as experts are saying that the breakneck speed with which they are trying to finish off the last-minute preparations and repair works and even construction under the worst monsoon in 15 years in Delhi is fraught with dangers of similar accidents."

Some 7,000 athletes and team officials are slated to attend the opening of the games on 3 October, but the host country has been touched by scandals, missed deadlines and unsanitary conditions for the athletes.

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Vikram Roy, New Delhi

Clea Caulcutt

Scottish officials found their accommodation to be "unsafe and unfit for human habitation". New Zealand and Canada have described conditions as "unliveable", and many of the Commonwealth Games lodgings remain unfinished.

Australian discus world champion Dani Samuels is also pulling out of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi because of security and health concerns, according to her coach. She is not the only one who will be absent; athletic stars such as Sprinters Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, tennis stars Andy Murray, Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, swimmer Stephanie Rice and cyclist Chris Hoy have also declined to attend.

The Commonwealth Games Federation head has demanded the Indian government take immediate steps to improve conditions at the athletes' village in Delhi.

Two Taiwanese tourists were shot at by unidentified gunmen outside New Delhi's biggest mosque last Sunday, sparking concerns about safety in the area.

Organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi has borne the brunt of the criticism, but said that the opening ceremonies would dispel any nay-sayers.

India's former sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has criticised the 2.3-billion-euro cost of mounting the Games in Delhi.

"We were told the Games would help us showcase the true picture of modern India," Aiyar told Tehelka magazine. "I must congratulate Kalmadi for having successfully projected
the real picture – an India of corruption and inefficiency."

Delhi's 16 million residents have been dealing with gridlock and delays since the project began. Some say they will leave the city while the Games are taking place, reflected in the low ticket sales.

Additionally, the goverment has decided to create special Games lanes on already overcrowded roads to ensure athletes and officials are able to reach venues on time.

Those with a penchant for cricket, India's favourite sport, will more likely follow Australia's cricket tour of India. The two Test matches, in Mohali and Bangalore, clash with Games.