Everything to be ready by Wednesday: Sheila Dikshit on Games village

Amid criticism of the Games village, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, overseeing the clean-up operation, today said everything will be ready at the complex by Wednesday.

Dikshit, who has been spending six to seven hours daily at the complex since handing over of its maintenance to Delhi government on Wednesday last, said "every effort" is being made to make stay of the athletes very happy.

"All the towers will be ready by Wednesday," Dikshit said, adding that nearly half the flats out of 1,168 flats are completely ready.

Meanwhile, fresh criticism hit the Games village with a South African envoy claiming that a snake was found in one of the rooms in the Games village.

Amid strong criticism by the international delegates who dubbed the Village as "filthy and uninhabitable", PMO on Wednesday night had directed Delhi government to take control of the complex from the Delhi Development Authority.

Asked why the authorities have to make the last minute scramble to complete the works in Games Village, Dikshit blamed it on lack of coordination among various agencies involved in it.

"The problems in the village ranged from broken windows to malfunctioning of the lift. We are putting all our efforts to put things in order," she said. 

The city government, since taking control of cleaning, house-keeping and overall maintenance of the complex on Wednesday, had deployed a workforce of 1,500 people including professionals from five-star hotels. 

Dikshit yesterday put in place a three-layered mechanism to ensure cleanliness, hygiene and house-keeping as per international standards at the complex. 

Under the new set up, professionals from five-star hotels and volunteers from Hotel Association of India will look after cleanliness and maintenance of the rooms in all the 34 towers in the Games Village. 

While cleanliness and all other maintenance-related matters outside the rooms like balconies and other areas within the complex have been entrusted to a team of officials from NDMC, the MCD has been directed to look after the areas outside the towers on village premises.