New Delhi, Sep 21: Despite the scathing criticism from the CGF chief Michael Fennell who termed Athletes Village "unlivable", the Commonwealth Organising Committee on Tuesday said that the matter was not something for which it should be ashamed of and it was due to different perceptions in standard of cleanliness.
A concerened Fennell had shot of letter to Cabinet Secretary, saying that the Athletes Village has "shocked" many Commonwealth officials regarding its unhygienic conditions but the organisers said "it was just a matter of difference in perception of cleanliness".
"We have received the letter from Mr Fennell and he has expressed his concerns on the cleanliness of the Games Village. But it is not such a big issue which we should be ashamed of. This will not affect the Games," OC spokesperson Lalit Bhanot told reporters after the Executive Board meeting.
"We were aware of this issue (cleanliness) and we have already started our work. 70 per cent of work on cleaning the residential blocks has been completed, we will complete the remaining in 36 hours," he said.
"Otherwise the Athletes Village is world class. I have visited many such Games and ours is the best. All the foreign delegates are impressed by the international center and the dinning hall," he said. Bhanot insisted that the organisers did not miss any deadline as the earlier target was to complete work before the arrival of athletes.
"We had set the target that all work will be over by September 23 before the arrival of athletes. It still stands, all work will be completed before arrival of athletes. Only thing left is the deep cleaning of the Village. All cleaning work will be completed before the arrival of the athletes," he said.
"The Cabinet Secretary, Prinicipal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Sports Secretary, Delhi Lt Governor and chief secretary visited the Village. We are getting all the support from the government. All the Games venues are also ready," he said
Asked if it was true that the residential blocks of the Village were not clean, Bhanot said, "For us and for you it is clean. But they (the foreign countries) have a different standard of cleanliness. It is a matter of difference in perception."
"Anyway, we have now upgraded the level of cleanliness which should be there according to them. So we are looking into everything and we will deliver the Games. No country has said they are not coming," he said. Bhanot described a foot-bridge collapsing near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as unfortunate but said it was not related to the Games. "It was unfortunate that it happened. But it is not related to the Games," he said. PTI
