DDA asked to start work for Commonwealth Games immediately

New Delhi, Aug 6 (UNI) Parliament's Standing Committee on Urban Development has suggested Delhi Development Authority to start developing infrastructure for the 2010 Commonwealth Games right away on land it possesses at present without waiting for land acquisition from Uttar Pradesh.

The committee, in its report, expressed apprehension that if land from UP government was not acquired at the earliest, it would be very difficult to carry out development work for the commonwealth games within a short span of five years.

While noting the effort made by DDA with the top officials of UP government for acquiring land, it desired that at the same time the matter should be sorted out expeditiously at the highest level due to time constraint and importance of the games.

The committee was of the view that the Cabinet Secretary should intervene to sort out the issue, or if found necessary, the matter could be sorted out at the ministerial level also.

However, it recommended that whatever the land the DDA posses right now, should be developed without waiting for the acquisition of land from the UP government.

Commonwealth Games Village was to be constructed near the Akshardham Temple on the banks of Yamuna in East Delhi. A part of the plot, measuring 41.3 acre, where the village was to be build belonged to the Irrigation Department of the UP government. And DDA was negotiating with the UP government to acquire the piece of land without much success.

UNI IP MSJ HS1043