Now that the commonwealth games are less than a fortnight away and the monsoons showing no signs of abating, the preparations are really going down to the wires. Honestly, I am more than a little confused about whether to support the games or not.

At one level, I have started feeling bad for the organisers. The rains have been so relentless that even those who are well intentioned and want to do a genuinely good job are frustrated. Also, most of us don’t want to be embarrassed. But then, I tell myself that some of these jokers, which basically means the top guys in the organising committee and the civic administration and their political masters, have had 7 years to get things ready, and delayed things deliberately to create panic so that no question asked funds are released. So they deserve no mercy. And then again, the thought creeps up. Why should the nation be embarrassed for the folly of these individuals, especially when we know that those responsible for the mess are thick-skinned?

The Prime Minister and his boss, Sonia Gandhi, have promised that the guilty will ‘not be spared’ once the games are over. But do you really believe that one bit? I can almost envision the games being projected as a grand success and in the ensuing euphoria, all would be forgotten, including the fact that what should have cost X has cost us 20 X and that the quality has been shockingly sub-standard, the excessive make up and magical illumination of games venues notwithstanding. Of course, those responsible would move on and perhaps even bid for the Olympics to build on the hugely successful commonwealth games.

While all such issues, be it quality, games a success or not, who’s guilty and who’s not, etc will be discussed threadbare for times to come, I have a few very basic observations, borne mostly out of my walking and cycling trips all around the city these past few days. I am sharing a few of them very briefly with the intention of getting feedback from you all.

If you are in the car, the newly laid stones on the sidewalks around Delhi look beautiful. But looks can be deceptive. Step out of the car to know what the reality is. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say one can’t walk more than 20 steps before encountering some obstacle. It could be in the form of a broken tile, a missing tile, stump of a discarded light pole, a sudden depression that has been plastered over, or a sudden change in level. If the intention was to provide walkways that care for the pedestrian, it has fallen flat. And the experience is uniform, whether it is VVIP areas or areas around the event venues. Even the tactile tiles, that have ostensibly been put to help the blind, as is done in developed world, have been done without a thought. You could end up into a bush or into a pile of debris.

Also, in an attempt to make the sidewalks more disabled friendly, ramps have been built. But like a lot else, it seems to have been done just because they were asked to build a ramp. No thought has gone behind why it needs to be built in a particular way so that it actually helps those in need. There is no uniformity in the gradient or the access points and that is just part of the problem.

Another heartening feature visible, if you are moving around in cars, are the cycle lanes being created at a number of places. Little excites me as much as this, for I genuinely believe a bicycle is ideal for travelling short distances. But like the sidewalks, their execution leaves hell of a lot to be desired. The lane’s width can switch from a few feet to a few inches, and worse, it can often lead to a dead end or into a tree.

Basically what is happening is that all these are being done just because some worthies thought all this is needed in an international city, without a clue as to how it is to be executed. There is science behind tactile tiles, or the angle at which disabled friendly ramps are to be built, for example, but it’d be churlish to expect that anyone is even aware of these aspects. It hurts. It really hurts. How we are being milked can be gauged from the fact that most of those involved in the implementation of these projects have spent considerable amount of taxpayers’ money on overseas study tours to learn implementation of such projects. In the absence of any feedback or accountability, one just ends up spending a lot of money with almost zero benefit.

Just some training and awareness could have resulted in creation of civic facilities that Delhi perhaps deserves as the capital of a growing economic power. But instead, we are creating infrastructure that is neither here nor there. In fact, if one were to sincerely follow the signage put up all over, one could actually get into a spot of bother.

A number of our readers, I am sure, are aware of what is being done and have an opinion on how it should be done. They would have travelled the world too. Would appreciate your feedback and suggestions and put them together to be shared with the authorities. I can only hope this will somehow help in future. It is easy to give up and live with the rot, but then that is taking the easy way out and we don’t want that.

Follow Rajesh Kalra on Twitter