The pressure to show that projects are being completed in time for the Games has begun telling on the civic agencies and others related to the Games extravaganza as they seem to be on a spree of declaring a stadia “inaugurated” even when several crucial works remain. The Sunday fiasco of inaugurating a leaking weightlifting stadium, CPWD officials maintain, may have been avoided had they been allowed three or four more days.
Talking to this newspaper, a high-ranking CPWD official conceded that “at least three to four days of work remained when the stadium was inaugurated”. “In fact, we had not been able to test the water flow arrangement from the stadium’s roof. And when it was being inaugurated, it rained and looked like nothing was in place,” said the official.
They added that what seemed like a leaking roof was essentially non-provision of “side-stretching” that could have prevented water from simply rolling down on to the building. “The roof of the stadium is like an egg shell. So the water will roll down through the walls, if channels are not provided to drain down the water in a streamlined manner,” said the official. However, before the CPWD could test water flow arrangement, it was decided that it should be inaugurated, apparently under pressure from the OC, which is receiving flak from various quarters.
CPWD director general V.K. Chugh said no major works were required and the entire structure would be repaired within three to four days. He, however, denied that there was any seepage inside the stadium. “When the water flows down the walls from roof, there will be some dampness on the walls. But water did not enter the auditorium,” said Mr Chugh. Incidentally, the original deadline of the stadium was February, which was pushed back to May 31 and then further to July 31.