Kalmadi seeks Indian Army's assistance for 2010 CWG
New Delhi: Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi has sought the help of Indian Army personnel
for specific tasks to ensure a successful conduct of the 2010 Games. Briefing
media after a meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) here on Friday, Kalmadi
said Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy, who is also the chairman
of the GoM for the Commonwealth Games has written a letter to Defence Minister
A K Antony requesting him to depute Army personnel and not to charge for certain
facilities. "We have asked for the support from the Army, and Army has been good
enough to give us support throughout the Baton Relay, for the opening and closing
ceremony, for giving us lots of personnel for the Games, and we are very happy
with it," said Kalmadi. "The Group of Ministers (GoM), Jaipal Reddy, had requested
the Defence Minister that the Army should do it free of charge. So, they have
agreed to do something free of charge, and something they are charging," he added.
Jaipal Reddy in his statement mentioned that though he had written the letter,
the contents of which can't be quoted and certain communication agencies have
been asked to act in tandem. "I did write to the Defence Minister, not to charge
us for several things. Those details I am unable to recall. As per today's meeting
of Group of Ministers, we discussed, with focus on the technology network. The
MTNL, TCIL, Prasar Bharati, have to get their act together before TSR equipment
could be inserted," said Reddy. Earlier on Thursday, the Central Government had
appointed a 10-member panel to oversee preparations of the Games and stripped
Kalmadi of his powers. The panel includes J S Deepak, Amarjeet Singh, Subodh Kumar,
S R Rao, Shashi Shekhar, Gopal Krishna, Rohit Nandan and Rajeev Kapoor. The Commonwealth
Games 2010 is India 's biggest sporting event since the 1982 Asian Games. India
is expecting about two million tourists in New Delhi for the Games, as well as
about 10,000 athletes from 71 teams representing 54 Commonwealth member states.
