It will still take Delhiites some time to assess the various costs – financial and otherwise -- of Commonwealth Games 2010, even though a lot of information has been trickling into public domain.

According to a study by Housing and Land Rights Network, an NGO, at least Rs 30,000 crore have already been spent on creating infrastructure for the Games.

From the decision to bid for the Games (including extravagant expenditure on bidding) to sanctioning and executing projects, nothing was done in a democratic and accountable manner.
“It was not discussed in Parliament; neither was there any public debate, consultation or opinion poll among the residents of Delhi,” says the report.

Delhiites have since borne the brunt of a mammoth project that they had never bargained for, including hurried, expensive, poorly planned, and environmentally unsound construction, exploitation of workers, slum dwellers and other disadvantaged people. (A committee appointed by Delhi high court found that construction workers engaged in CWG projects were not even paid minimum wages, let alone provided with other mandatory facilities.)

The Games have been used to justify hikes in taxes and other costs of living.

The ineptitude, bungling and corruption in project execution comes on top of that; many of the projects being executed in the name of CWG will remain incomplete through the duration of the sporting event.

Now Sheila Dikshit, chief minister of Delhi, has the temerity to suggest that the city is ready to host even the Olympic Games!
She said so at HT Conclave on Wednesday, as reported by Hindustan Times.

That’s a statement that betrays no sensibility of how people of Delhi have come to view the undemocratic and expensive governmental misadventure that CWG project has proven to be.

Now, you decide for yourself,