COMMONWEALTH VILLAGE: DOGS AND SNAKES

SNAKES IN COMMONWEALTH GAMES VILLAGE

 The Games Village had required a lot of work since it was not found to be clean enough. There were pictures published by the media showing dirty rooms and street dogs roaming around in the complex. Hundreds of staff were put to work so that the entire Commonwealth Village could be spruced up before the athletes start arriving for the Games.

However, the preparations received a jolt again today when a snake was found in one of the apartments which was going to be occupied by the South African contingent. This was a room where an athlete was about to arrive and start staying before the Commonwealth Games begin on October 3. The South African Commissioner called it a threat to the lives of their athletes. The cause was supposed to be the filth and the water-filled basement. Thankfully, the South Africans decided not to withdraw from partcipating in the Games although the Games have now been ridden with issues.

A dipstick check revealed that only 400 apartmets have been made fully ready out of a total of 1168 apartments in the Games Village.  7000 athletes will be staying in the Village and a lot needs to be done if India is serious about making the athletes comfortable. The Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit has played down tha lack of readiness and is still sure that in 3 days everything will be ready, having wasted the last 3 years.

However, it still cannot be said as to how many athletes will participate since there have been numerous security concerns and athletes pulling out due to purported health issues.