The Hindu : Architecture competition for new Games Village

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Architecture competition for new Games Village

By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

NEW DELHI, JAN 17. The Delhi Development Authority is drawing up plans for an All-India Architecture Competition to finalise the designs for the Commonwealth Games Village and two stadiums and a squash court that would be constructed for the games scheduled to be held here in 2010.

However, for conducting the competition, DDA has sought some clarifications from the Indian Olympic Association general secretary, Randhir Singh, as the specifications received by them from the IOA were rather vague.

According to the Director (Sports) of DDA, D. Sarkar, the Commonwealth Games Village - which would house around 8,500 participants and officers - would be coming up adjacent to Akshardham Temple near Noida More. It will have a residential zone that would provide dining facilities and a clinic besides accommodation. However, DDA has still not received details on the capacity of the polyclinic. Likewise, the capacity required for the cinema and theatre to be constructed along with conference rooms, press rooms, facilitation centre, restaurant and shopping mall in the international zones has not been clearly spelt out.

Hinting that even these details would be made known soon, DDA is now contemplating preparation of a brochure for launching the design competition. The architects, Mr Sarkar said, would get around a month's time to come out with their plans and would also be required to prepare three-dimensional models of the projects to the implemented.

Thereafter, a jury, comprising eminent persons and architects, will select the designs on which the Games Village and stadiums will be constructed. While the final budgets would only be prepared after the designs have been approved, it is estimated that the entire construction work would cost in the vicinity of Rs 400 crores.

Actively involved in the bid process and the display of infrastructural facilities already available for the Games, DDA is expected to play a major role in the creation of the new infrastructure. Apart from the Games Village, which would also have a practice area with athletic tracks, training grounds, swimming pool, waiting area and training centre, it is will construct a 15,000-seat indoor stadium for weightlifting and boxing at Yamuna Sports Complex, Surajmal Vihar. Here, the Authority will also construct an outdoor stadium for Rugby with seating facility for 10,000 spectators.

Besides these big complexes, the DDA will also construct a 15,000-seat squash court at Siri Fort Sports Complex. This would be an all-four-side glass court in keeping with the international norms. The glass would allow one-way viewing to spectators while players would be able to go ahead with the game oblivious of the surroundings. The Authority would also add another 3,000 seats to the 1,000-seat Indoor Stadium for Badminton at this sports complex.

Meanwhile, soil testing for `liquifaction' has already begun at the proposed site for construction of the Games Village. And DDA, which had got an opportunity to interact with the representatives of the Commonwealth Games Federation when they visited Delhi last, is now eagerly waiting the presentation to be made by the British Department of Trade and Industry and the Chairman of the Advisory Group on Sports Infrastructure in the Capital later this month to know more about what is expected of it.

But with the experience of the 1982 Asian Games behind them, officials are confident that they would be able to construct any stadium or structure in less than two years.

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