WHOSE WEALTH? WHOSE COMMONS?

The 2010 Commonwealth Games Curtain Raiser
The 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) will be held in New Delhi from 3-14 October 2010. Hectic preparations are on to get the works completed prior to the commencement of the games. The Government is showing a rosy picture and is linking the expenditure involved on the Games to the much needed requirement of infrastructural development. However, everybody doesn’t agree to this. Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) has recently launched a report titled “The 2010 Commonwealth Games: Whose Weatlh? Whose Commons?” Former Chief Justice, Delhi High Court, Justice AP Shah, officially released the report at an event which was followed by a Panel Discussion chaired by Miloon Kothari, former United National Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing. Other panelists consited of Dr. Amitabh Kundu, Professor of Economics, JNU; Dunu Roy, Director, Hazards Centre; and Dr. Shalini Mishra and Shivani Chaudhry from HLRN.
Some of the core points that the report talks about are as under:
· India’s decision to bid for the Commonwealth Games 2010 was non-transparent and undemocratic and cost the country Rs. 137 crore. India offered US$ 7.2 million to rain athletes of all Commonwealth nations – an offer which allegedly clinched the bid in India’s favour.
· The Government of India and Delhi decided to underwrite costs and budget shortfall of the Games, despite the fact that the Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure, Govt. of India, cautioned against it in 2003.
· The budget for the CWG has risen from an initial projection of Rs. 1899 crore to an official figure of Rs. 10000 crore and independent expert estimates of Rs. 30000 crore.
· The expenditure on sports infrastructure is already 2160% of the initial projected budget.
· The increase in the Union Budget allocation for the CWG from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports rose by 6235% from 2005-06 to 2009-10.
· Total expenditure on infrastructure, beautification projects, and security is unknown but likely to be hundreds of crores.
· A July 2009 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) raised questions on certain financial aspects of the Games, including sponsorships and revenue generation.
· Funds form 2009-10 Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (Special Component Plan) in Delhi have been diverted to cover CWG related expenditures.
· Over one lakh families have already been evicted due to CWG related projects. 44 more JJ clusters are to be removed before the Games and an estimated 30,000 – 40,000 families will be displaced.
· ‘Beggars’ and homeless citizens are being arrested and arbitrarily detained under the Bombay Prevention of Beggary Act 1959. The Department of Social Welfare has announced ‘no-tolerance zones’ in Delhi and plans to send them back to their states of origin.
· There is rampant exploitation of workers at CWG construction sites, including low pay, inadequate living conditions, and lack of safety equipment.
· Experience from around the world has demonstrated that mega sports events results in losses for the host country, especially when security costs are factored in. India’s expenses for the CWG are likely to create a negative financial legacy for the nation, the effects of which are already visible in the form of higher cost of living and taxes for Delhi residents.
· The Games are unlikely to improve sports in India since investment is concentrated on stadiums, which lie largely unused after the event, as in the case of the 1982 Asian Games.
Further, it has been said that the entire process related to the CWG has been essentially underscored by secrecy, unavailability of information, lack of government accountability, and unconstitutional activities, with evidence of long-term economic, social and environmental costs for the nation, and specifically for the city of Delhi. Preparations for the Games have already resulted in an irreversible alteration in the social, spatial, economic, and environmental dimensions of the city of Delhi. Much of this has taken place in contravention of democratic governance and planning processes.
The goal of portraying Delhi as a ‘world-class’ city and an international sports destination, has led the Indian government – both at the state and central level – to lose sight of its priorities and legal and moral commitments to its people.
The economic and social costs of the CWG could be even worse than stated. The cost of the Games could be as enormous as Rs. 70,000 crore, and the number of families already displaced from their homes due to the Games could be as high as over 100,000 (1 lakh).
The scale of the CWG and the excessive costs involved are hard to justify in a country that has glaringly high levels of poverty, hunger, inequality, homelessness, and malnutrition. When one in three Indians lives below the poverty line and 40% of the world’s hungry live in India, when 46% of India’s children and 55% of tis women are malnourished, does spending thousands of crores of rupees on a 12-day sports events build ‘national pride’ or it it a matter of ‘national shame’.
And the recommendations are:
· Need for detailed inquiry into the decision-making and bidding process as well as on the total expenditure of the CWG.
· Need for a full public disclosure of all finances related to the CWG.
· Need for the government to have a long-term legacy plan based on principles of human rights and environmental sustainability.
· Need to investigate those officials who have consistently overstated benefits from the Games, withheld critical information, and misappropriated funds, and prosecute them if they are found guilty.
· Need for a post-games audit and detailed social and environmental impact assessment.
· Need to prevent human rights violations, and for the government to comply with its national and international human rights and environmental legal commitments.
· Need for an investigation into the human rights violations related to the CWG.
· Need to repeal the Bombay Prevention of Beggary Act 1959.