Games Village sports complex to open by month-end

The world-class sport complex at the Commonwealth Games Village will be opened to public by the end of the month, though all its facilities might not be available immediately, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said on Monday.

Bureaucratic hurdles have meant that the 21-acre sports complex, developed for the 2010 sporting event, has not be used since the conclusion of the Games.

When the authorities decided to auction the Village flats, the spare furniture was moved to the sport complex stadium halls, making them useless as training centres. The DDA said all furniture has been moved out of the stadium halls, which are ready for use.

"The sports complex in the Commonwealth Games Village will be ready for public use by January-end. We are in the process of finishing the work at the sports complex. Fencing work is still underway. We will open some facilities by this month-end,'' DDA spokesperson Neemo Dhar said.

The land agency is in the process of hiring staff to run the complex, which is expected to be operated on pay-and-play basis.

"Since the Commonwealth Games Village flats needed to be auctioned, some of the furniture from these flats was shifted into the sports complex as there was no other space available. It was lying there till December 2012, but have been shifted out now,'' a DDA official said.

The furniture has been given to Sports Authority of India for its hostels. "The furniture was given to SAI at 25 per cent of the acquisition cost, in accordance with the decision of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports,'' the official said.

The opening of the sports complex has missed several deadlines. The previous deadline was September 2012.

According to the DDA, the charges of pay-and-play at its other sports complexes will apply for the Games Village too. For instance, entry charge at Siri Fort complex is Rs 40 and non-members have to pay an additional cost for every facility they use.

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