CommonWealth Games- Budget of 1899 crore turned into 30,000 crores !!!

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The Great - Super Man - KALMADI !!!

        So, the 11 days-Common Wealth Games came to an end. I don't think that 90% of Indians would be knowing about this game before the media started showing the pre-CWG reports. Our media sometimes creates awareness. I am confessing that I wasn't knowing that India won a bidding in 2003 for a game known as Common Wealth Games and it is going to be hosted in Delhi in this year 2010. I never knew the name- Suresh Kalmadi so familiarly before all these mis-arrangements and corruption came in front of the world through Indian media and then by Foreign media. Media generated such vibrations among the citizens that everyone were worried about the management of the games and whether the stadiums and the CWG village will be ready by the time players and sportsman will start landing on Indian land. But the pressure of Indians and the criticism of media made it possible and the whole scenario of CWG games started off quite well and ended with a pride. The Opening ceremony of the games were highly applaused. It was the-same-common-word-Spectacular. Even I couldn't believe that something like this is going on in India. I was feeling proud at the moment.

            India ended up with 101 Medals. In the last CWG, India bagged approx 50 medals and this time they doubled the counts of medal. The way media and newspaper showcased the proliferating numbers of medal each day in the favor of India made us proud and made us concerned for the different type of games except cricket (Still the Test match between India-Australia grabbed higher TRP than CWG). India ended up with 2nd position in the games. During the whole games, there was not even a single case where the arrangement or management of India was thrashed and snubbed. The 11 days ended like a boon to Indians. But our dear Kalmadi Sir didn't lost the chance of showing his era of stupidity and corruption king. While the opening ceremony, he referred our former President Dr. Abdul Kalam as Abdul Kalam Azad who was a freedom fighter. While referring Prince Charles, he clamoured Prince Diana. People hooted him and hence it focused the Super-Greatness of Kalmadi. Even at the Ending ceremony of the games, he named the Mayor's name wrongly. Kalmadi became the Trending topic in our media and newspapers. His face became a FACE OF CELEBRITY. 

             The approximate cost of CWG games was estimated to be 1899 crore rupees. It was said that India will be represented as new face in front of the world and it will get its new image around the Globe. This 1899 crore figure turned into a nonentity and the cost for hosting the CWG games touched the exuberant mark of 30,000 crore rupees. Wow !!! Can you imagine the cost? And can we see Delhi into a purely new city now? The answer is NO. When the Asian games were hosted in 1982, the Delhi was transformed in something which the normal citizens of India claimed that they can't believe that this is the same OLD Delhi. Delhi turned into a beautiful city. But this time? It will be injustice and unfair if I'll say that there is no change in Delhi. Surely, there is the change. We can see many transformations but still Delhi is a lackadaisical as compared to the expenditure of 30,000 crore rupees. Is the COMMON WEALTH GAMES a big game tournament? Does it touch the level of Olympics or the Soccer World Cup? No. So why did we spend such a lavish amount of money on these games. Kalmadi - The Great says that he is ready to host Olympics too. I think that will cost up to the death of the country- India. We will have to sell us to host the Olympics. 

             "The budget of 30,000 crore rupees is decided on the tax we pay. What did we get in return for our money? We got some facilities for the citizens of Delhi that frankly, the city should have got anyway. Moreover, it is hard to justify to people in other cities that desperately need investment (Bombay and Calcutta, for example) why Delhi should corner so much of the money. We got a few stadiums. And a higher-than-usual medal tally excited sports fans and awakened interest in previously marginal sports.

Now, consider the alternatives.

               There is a lot we could have done with Rs 30,000 crore. We could have overhauled health care in our cities. We could have built thousands of new schools. We could have overhauled the chaotic traffic system. We could have spent that money on recruiting more policemen and giving them the facilities they need. We could have built hundreds of new courts and recruited more judges to reduce the backlog in our judicial system. (And I am deliberately staying away from anti-poverty programmes because enough has been said about them already.)

               Consider also that these Games were staged by spending your and my money — the budget was financed by our taxes. If we had been given a choice between better education, a better judicial system, better healthcare, better policing and a better future for our children, would we have voluntarily refused all of this and asked that our money be diverted to stage the Commonwealth Games instead?

               I think you know the answer. And that answer must be the epitaph for the Commonwealth Games. - Vir Sanghvi"

               Now the investigation department is ready and spry to check out the probation entertained while the preparation of CWG. More interesting facts are going to come out. Lets wait for them and keep our eye glanced on the headlines of Newspapers.

               Thanks.


ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU sometimes very sensible.