Foreign companies yet to receive CWG payments

Several companies said they had yet to receive final payments and had been unable to re-export their own equipment since the Games ended on Oct 14. “This is a scandalous situation. I find it outrageous that an organising committee behaves like that,” said Ric Birch, who has organised ceremonies for Olympics and Commonwealth Games since 1982.

“The behaviour of organisers and Indian government agencies has been so shameful that any international company must beware of entering into any business contracts with Indian government agencies.

“We have written to everyone from Games organisers to government officials to the International Olympic Committee member for India and we have received no reply. Not one of them replied,” Birch said.

Among those contacted in correspondence was JJ Thompson, special adviser to India's prime minister, Games chairman Suresh Kalmadi and Games chief executive Mike Hooper.
Only Hooper replied, telling Birch that he was unable to contact organisers. “Not much of an effort for a Commonwealth Games CEO,” said Birch, director of production at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, who staged the ceremonies for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics and was also a consultant for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
When contacted, Organising Committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot refused to comment. “I'm busy in a meeting right now,” he said.

VK Verma, director general of the organising committee, said: “I would not be able to comment, as I was not handling that at all.”

Kalmadi did not pick calls despite several attempts.  Birch's company is one of about a dozen still owed several million dollars for work carried out at the Oct 3-14 Games.
Apart from money, the companies have yet to receive, equipment worth millions of dollars is stored in dozens of freight containers in India unable to clear customs.

One of the companies involved is Howard and Sons Pyrotechnics, responsible for the fireworks during the Delhi Games ceremonies.

Andrew Howard said they were still owed 300,000 Australian dollars ($298,800).
“We also have a shipping container and 14 pallets of airfreight stuck in Delhi,” said Howard.