New Delhi:
Blaming multiplicity of authority for delays and other problems in the run-up to Commonwealth Games, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said there should have been a single command at the Central government level to ensure proper coordination among those involved.
She said lack of coordination posed a "huge problem" and projects were delayed because of procedural issues and clearances for the mega sporting event that began on October three.
"With this huge diversity and multiplicity of authority in Delhi, everything had to be coalesced before a decision could be taken. So we were racing against time, racing to meet the objectives or whatever it may be, to bring everybody on board, even if it is construction of a road or making a flyover," she said in an interview.
Dikshit, while giving some insight into the preparations for the Games, said, "There were delays which were totally beyond our control. But we were very conscious of the fact that things have to be done before the Games and I think 99.99 per cent we managed to achieve it."
India's image took a beating in the run-up to the Games, awarded to the country in 2003, as it was dogged by shoddy construction works, delays and poor living condition in Games Village.
Asked whether any lessons had been learnt, the Chief Minister replied, "I would say that perhaps there should have been one command for the event of this magnitude."
She felt that preparations could have been smooth if a Union Minister or a senior central government official had been nominated as the nodal point of command for the Games which involved the country's prestige.
When pointed out that a Group of Ministers (GoM) was overseeing the preparations, Dikshit said it mainly played the role of a "facilitator" and served as a platform where various stake-holders could make suggestions and have discussions.
Queried whether it was not empowered to take decisions, she said, "It was empowered only as all GoMs are. They discuss things and find out what is happening. The GoM to my understanding was a suggestion (making body)."
Giving an example of how a single central command would have helped, the Chief Minister said a total turnaround in the preparations was made possible when Union Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar and herself were given the responsibility to improve condition at the much-criticised Game Village.
"The Cabinet Secretary's presence made a lot of difference at the Games Village. He got things done faster and I was there myself trying to do as much as I could... May be, if there had been one nodal officer or minister (to oversee the Games, things would have been different)," she said.
Justifying her argument for single command, she said, "You know, over 6,000 players coming in, so many Games are being played, 15 odd stadiums...One command would have been better," she said.
Asked whether she had made such a suggestion to the central government before the Games, she replied in the negative.
On whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should have intervened earlier, Dikshit said "he was there" and distributed work to so many ministers and set up the GoM.
"But I think when we saw (the press reports), I think all of us naturally got influenced someway or the other...So I think he took a decision then (to assign the Cabinet Secretary to get things done). Otherwise it was going on in a normal way," she said.
"Delhi is India's capital and it cannot afford things to be delayed. How we manage things is really surprising. Coordination is a huge problem," she said.
The city government undertook 34 infrastructure projects worth over Rs 16,000 crore.