Almost a year after real estate major Emaar MGF sought a financial bailout from the government to complete the Commonwealth Games Village, the project’s facilitators say they have put all legal and financial tangles behind. The builders claim the 34 towers will be ready for use by March 2010.

What’s more, say the facilitators, even workers’ strength has gone up after all payment issues were cleared: once down to as low as 1,500, workforce at the Games Village site is now up to 8,000.

“All dues have been cleared and we are making all efforts to make up for the time lost,” says Arun Sahai, chief executive officer of Ahluwalia Contracts India Ltd, the main facilitator of the Games Village project. “We are confident that we will complete the project by March next year due to cohesive efforts of all agencies and workers involved.”

Sahai says all structures were ready by January this year and finishing work is being done now. “The finishing work is a high-specification job that requires highly skilled workers and is also time-consuming,” he says. “We have been completing substantial work each month and it gives us the confidence to complete the whole project on time.”

Officials from the Ministry of Urban Development, who assessed work at the Games Village in August, also say work is on track. “Officials from the Commonwealth Games organising committee will stay in those flats for some time once they are ready,” a ministry official says. “This is to find out whether the flats adhere to the required standards.”

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