Despite an all-out effort by the government to facilitate construction of adequate number of hotel rooms in the city for the Commonwealth games, only 2,224 rooms will be available for the event.
Only 13 hotels out of the 39 proposed ones in the city would be ready before the Games, according to the data prepared at the latest review meeting of room position by the tourism ministry.
Though many hotels are coming up in Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Noida, the capital city will have to content with just 2,224 rooms from the 13 new hotels before the sporting extravaganza.
There is a requirement of 30,000 rooms during the Games beginning October 3.
As per the review, construction of 3,169 rooms at about 20 sites in the capital is going on. But these hotels are unlikely to be completed before the event.
However, ruling out room shortage during the Games, a senior ministry official said, "There would be a total of 10,973 rooms ready in the capital and in the neighbouring areas before the Games.
"Besides, 2,709 DDA flats (5500 rooms) are also being readied at Vasant Vihar for the Games visitors. About 2,000 rooms under the Bed and Breakfast scheme and about 11,000 guest house rooms in the city would be made available."
To encourage construction of new hotels for the Games, government has extended the Five-Year Tax Holiday available to 2, 3 and 4-star category hotels and convention centers in National Capital Territory Region of Delhi and the districts of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad from March 31 to July 31 this year under Section 80-ID of Income Tax Act.
Union tourism minister Kumari Selja in a pre-budget exercise had requested the union finance minister for extension of time limit for the tax holiday to Games hotel projects in Delhi & NCR.
This incentive was earlier available from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2010.
"The incentive has been extended to encourage the completion of the Games hotel projects which had slowed down due to global economic recession," said the official.
Just 186 days are left for the Commonwealth games to begin.
