With questions raised over completion of Commonwealth Games projects in time, government on Thursday announced appointment of 10 senior officials to oversee preparation of major event venues.

The move is seen as further stripping of powers of Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had stepped in to clear the mess in the wake of controversies in the run-up to the games beginning 3rd October, approved the appointment of these experienced bureaucrats to solve coordination problems.

The officers have been empowered to take on-the-spot decisions to tie up any loose ends or resolve conflicts between government agencies and organisations before the games, the Cabinet Secretariat said in its order.

Of the ten officers, four are of the rank of Additional Secretary in the government and the rest Joint Secretaries.

They are Subhodh Kumar (AS-Telecom), S R Rao (AS-IT), R C Misra (AS-UD), Amarjeet Singh, Executive Director, Health Ministry, J S Deepak (JS-Commerce), Rohit Nandan (JS-Civil Aviation), Shashi Shekar (OSD-Power Trading Corporation), Tara Dutt (JS-Cabinet Secretariat), Gopala Krishna (Secretary, Sports Authority of India) and Rajeev Kapur (JS-Personnel and Training).

Sports Secretary Injeti Srinivas will look after issues of accreditation and Rajeev Kapur will look after Vasant Kung flats in addition to J S Deepak.

The Cabinet Secretary has made it clear that these officers may discuss with Sports Secretary when decisions have financial implications.

Decisions taken by these officials would have to be complied with by the executing agencies at the venue level.

A concerned Prime Minister had to step in after allegations of corruption and delay in construction delays hit the Games.

Last week, Singh called a meeting with Jaipal Reddy, who heads the Group of Ministers overseeing the Games, Kalmadi, Sports Minister MS Gill, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna to take stock of the preparations.

Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekar also attended this meeting.

Besides promising action against those found guilty of corruption, Singh will also tour some of the venues in the last week of this month.

PM may inspect CGW venues next week: Gill

Amidst reports of delays and shoddy work, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may next week inspect some of the venues of Commonwealth Games to be held in the national capital in October.

“Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell has seen (the venues) and I hope to take Prime Minister (to the venues) next week,” Sports Minister M S Gill said replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha in New Delhi.
The venues, he said, are ready and only temporary fitting works are being carried out now.

Responding to questions on irregularities in tendering and award for construction of the venues, Gill said the Prime Minister has already stated that the guilty if any will not be spared. “We will take it to logical conclusion.”