Gill briefs Fennell on CWG status

Fennell, who arrived in the Capital on Tuesday night to attend a Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) General Assembly meet on October 12, discussed the “areas of concern” with the minister.

The minister briefed Fennell on various projects related to the October 3 to 14 mega-event. “I had a an hour long meeting with him and both of us had the same approach to the issues,” he said.

Asked whether Fennell will have a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Gill said, “The Prime Minister has given me the responsibility but if he still wants to meet the PM, he can.”

The meeting comes barely a day after Gill’s meeting with the Prime Minister in which Singh took stock of the ongoing projects in an hour-long meet also attended by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia among others.

After the review meeting, the prime minister had asked the sports minister to coordinate with Indian Olympic Association officials to fine-tune preparations.

Fennell has also sought a meeting with the prime minister to brief him about the tardy preparations but has not been granted any date as yet.

Fennell was miffed with the pace of the capital’s preparation for the multi-discipline event and fears it is heading for “partial failure” unless the organisers pull up their socks and get some experienced foreign experts on board.

Fennell will lead the CGF General Assembly delegates on tours of the Games venues and Village.

He will also chair a meeting of the Executive Board on October 11 and the General Assembly the following day.