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2010 Games Village: Prime real estate for govt?
Published on Sun, Dec 16, 2007 at 22:23, Updated on Mon, Dec 17, 2007 at 00:12 in India section
Tags: Commonwealth Games Village, DDA , New Delhi
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New Delhi: The Delhi Government is calling the 2010 Commonwealth Games — the green Games. But is the environment being sidelined by the colour of money?
CNN-IBN’s Special Investigation Team has found out that contrary to earlier promises, the Games Village will be handed to the Village developer and the DDA to sell off as prime real estate after the Games are over.
Activists and ecologists say the government is flouting environmental norms by building the Games Village for the 2010 Commonwealth Games on the Yamuna flood plains, even as those in charge insist that approvals are in place.
“For any kind of construction like that of Commonwealth Games Village, the kinds of clearances which are required are those from the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF), " claims Minister for Urban Development Delhi, Ajay Maken. "All necessary clearance from both these bodies have been obtained.”
“We have had a fresh air of controversies regarding the environment, like any other games that have taken place in the past,” says Chairman Indian Olympics Association, Suresh Kalmadi.
He says that controversies surrounding the Commonwealth Games Village will be "sorted out."
But documents show the Games Village site violates a High Court order against all encroachments on the Yamuna Flood Plain. Expert Committees set up by the Delhi Government are also against the plan.
The High Court had said that any kind of encroachment — residential, religious or industrial— is not allowed.
Even the Usha Mehra Committee had urged DDA to stop the construction on the Yamuna riverbed.
And those in the expert committee set up by the Environment Ministry, say that they had never approved the project.
“I was called especially for this particular project. We said, ‘Nothing doing. We shouldn’t be recommending this project,’” says Hydrology Expert IIT Delhi, AK Gosain.
The Delhi Government's plan for the Village after the Games are over is also suspect. The DDA and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit had originally promised to convert the 4000 odd houses into University accommodation.
But CNN-IBN investigation revealed that now the Games Village is clearly being seen as prime real estate.
"The DDA has come out with a plan. The private company which has been entrusted the task of constructing Commonwealth Games Village, that company will retain two-third of the total accommodation and one-third will be given to DDA, which DDA will auction off later," says Maken.
4000 houses selling at prime rates is a lot of money. No wonder, the key environmental concerns are being wilfully ignored.
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