"The bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games 2020 starts from 2011 and ends in 2013. A successful show in Pune and in 2010 will help our bid to host the Olympics in 2020," Kalmadi, who was here to attend the Youth Baton Relay ceremony for the 3rd Commonwealth Games, said.

Kalmadi said the Rs 700 crore fund, granted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will be used to impart training and giving other facilities to the athletes.

"A large part of the sum will be spent on hiring foreign coaches and getting scientific support for the athletes. We'll be having around 300 days of training, including 100 days in abroad for our Commonwealth Games athletes," he said.

On Indian athletes' performance in Beijing, Kalmadi said "We had the best of athletes but could not do well for the lack of scientific support but we should expect good performances once we have it."

"The medals which we won in Beijing is just the starting point. We have to encourage the youth to adopt an Olympic culture," he said

Abhinav Bindra's comments as a guest editor of The Times of India on how politicians heading sports bodies in India spelled disaster need no elaboration.

The response was predictable. Indian Olympic Association boss Suresh Kalmadi retorted by saying that politicians at the helm of such bodies was good as they could get more money from government for sports.

This is a poor argument, albeit the only one our politicians know. This way, these leaders should command everything where government money flows: scientific bodies, academic institutions...and anything else left untouched by them in India.
There is a difference of earth and sky between professional competence and political concerns. Usually, when the latter predominates, excellence is the first victim. This has been the story of Indian sport so far.

"We promise that we will not return from the Games with even a drop of blood in us as all of it would have been spilled in training and on the ranges. We have been training really hard and will definitely give our best shot. Believe me, we are the best athletes you have so be proud of us and have confidence," said Manavjit Singh Sandhu, ace Indian shooter and one of India's main medal hopes.

The promising shooter, however, added: "But the fact remains that not even the gold medalist of the last Olympics can claim of a medal in this event so we are just concentrating on trying our best".

Manavjit, who is also Samsung's Olympic Brand Ambassador, said Indian athletes would definitely put up a better show in Beijing than what they did in the previous versions of the Games.

Other athletes present at the event were - Shooters Anjali Bhagwat, Samresh Jung, Gagan Narang and Avneet Kaur Sidhu; boxers AL Lakra and Vijender Singh; judo fighters Khumujam Tombi Devi and Divya; and archer Dola Banerjee.

Fellow shooter Samresh Jung expressed the same view. "Our training has been good, performances have improved and results are coming in various events but nobody can predict a medal," he said.

India's most successful archer Dola Banerjee also echoed other athletes' views and said the future of Indian sports looked promising.

He was speaking at the bhoomipoojan of new classrooms of the Colonel Young School in Yerawada on Monday. The PMC has acquired two and a half acres of land at Thakarsey Hill. Kalmadi was all praise for corporator Shivaji Kshirsagar who followed up the issue.

He said he would provide money from his MP's fund for computer training in PMC-run schools. ``At a time when the city is emerging as Information Technology destination, PMC-run schools should provide training in English language and computers,'' he said.

• Around this time next year, Puneites may not have to go to Mumbai to catch international flights.
• And by March 2005, they can expect flights throughout the day at the Lohegaon airport.

He said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was ready to share with the air force the cost incurred for the upgradation required to handle more traffic, like improving terminals and air traffic management and purchasing additional equipment.

It would, however, take three months to finish all modalities for extending the time for civil operations and around a year for international flights to start from Lohegaon, he said. At present, civil operations are allowed only between 10 am and 8 pm, which does not allow parking of civilian aircraft. "The Chakan airport will get clearance from the Union ministry of civil aviation by mid-2005," Patel said, laying to rest all doubts whether the proposed international airport near Chakan will get off air or not. Meanwhile, the Lohegaon airport will be made open "whole day" for civil operations and will be converted into an international airport by end-2005, according to him.

Patel said the airport at Chakan would be built along the lines of the Bangalore airport, with 100 per cent private participation. "We want to have double runways there," he said.

According to him, the tendering process for the Rs 2,000 crore greenfield project would begin after the clearance for the airport by the middle of next year. Meanwhile, the feasibility studies by AAI and the director-general of civil aviation, orientation and land acquisition process would begin, he said.

Several in Pune have followed the Goa experiment with bated breath. Much depended on the effective functioning of the skybus because it would provide an alternate and better transport system to Pune.

Buoyed by this, the Pune Municipal Corporation now plans to go ahead with its plans for a skybus. KRC has already completed techno-feasibility report of its proposal in Pune. The civic body had spent Rs 50 lakh for the report. Lok Sabha member Suresh Kalmadi had announced that work on project will start once the experimental run in Goa is a success. In Pune, KRC has proposed to run the skybus on a 25 km stretch. According to an estimate, a minimum of Rs 50 crore would be needed to erect a one km stretch. The civic body, thus, has to raise a minimum amount of Rs 1,250 crore. The State government has promised assistance.

He was speaking on the occasion of the dedication of the National Institute of Post Harvest Technology's Horticulture Training Centre to the nation at Talegaon-Dabhade. Governor Mohammed Fazal, who dedicated the HTC to the nation, said research to help increase the quality and shelf-life of fruits was necessary. Farmers need to be trained in the latest technology if they have to step into the global market, he said, adding that the HTC would take care of that. The HTC is promoted by the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board with technical collaboration of the Practical Training Centre (PTC) of the Netherlands. It has been set up with an investment of Rs 16 crore, out of which Rs 4 crore came from the Netherlands Development Finance Company and the rest from MSAMB.

The CM also said

• the aid (Rs 1,000 per hectare) announced for farmers in western Maharashtra was applicable to Vidarbha farmers also.
• He also announced a proposal to set up a 20-KV power transformer at Urje village in Pune district.
• He said the farmers should seriously consider horticulture for better returns.

Highly-placed sources said the Prime Minister had personally conveyed the demand for the 'Vision Document' to Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar. The document is aimed to paint the UPA Government's big picture for Dalit welfare apart from enlisting various programmes to be launched by the Government.

The vision document gains significance in view of many initiatives that the UPA regime has taken towards the uplift of the Dalits. Reservation of jobs in the private sector is one of the moves the Congress-led Government aims to accomplish as a distinguishing feature from previous regimes. The document is aimed at giving details on how the Government plans to move on the Common Minimum Programme which has detailed a separate chapter on Dalit welfare. Sources said the UPA Government wants to give a fresh look to programmes for the welfare of Scheduled Castes which have been in existence since Independence but with debatable results. Old Government-run programmes may be reviewed and fine tuned to make them relevant for the present times. Experts are likely to be roped in for their inputs on these aspects.

Congressmen are relying heavily on the Dalit Document of Bhopal as the model. It is expected to cover all the fields of community welfare - agriculture, irrigation, land reforms, forests, technical education and job reservation.

1. meeting civil aviation minister Praful Patel on Friday at New Delhi to obtain a clearance from the civil aviation ministry for building a green-field airport at Chakan. The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), which is a nodal agency for development, clearances, consultancy and land acquisition for the project, has already completed a techno-feasibility report, and submitted it to the state government late last month.
2. Meanwhile, Kalmadi, in his meeting with Praful Patel will also take up the issue of installing a modern instrument landing system (ILS) — a navigational tool used world-wide — at the Lohegaon airport. The ILS, which is currently present at about 12 airports in India, is a tool that help aircrafts land and take off during inclement weather conditions.
3. Kalmadi further said he will take up the need to increase the watch-hours at the Lohegaon airport, besides extending the runway by another 300 yards.

The demand for an airport with international standards in and around Pune has been a long felt need, particularly in view of the tremendous growth in the information technology and other business areas.

Pune airport director Captain Deepak Shastri said there is an urgent requirement for ILS in Pune. "With the airline industry opening up, there is a possibility that more air-routes through the city may be introduced in the near future," he said, also pointing out to the delay last week of several flights due to heavy rains and poor visibility. "Installing an ILS is an expensive proposition, but we have put forward our requirement," he said, when asked about the requirement of such a system.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the Kalyaninagar-Koregaon Park bridge here, Kalmadi said, "We had always supported the project. However, since the cost of the project was enormous, we had insisted on successful trials. If the August 20 trial in Goa is successful, we will ask the KRC to execute the project in Pune immediately." Kalmadi disclosed that he, along with mayor Dipti Chaudhari, recently held a meeting with the KRC officials in Delhi, in which they asked the KRC to execute the project on Karve road. "Karve road will be the first in the city on which a Skybus will run," Kalmadi said. He also revealed that he had recently held talks with Union petroleum minister Mani Shankar Iyer and urged him to initiate measures for introducing compressed natural gas (CNG) in Pune.

Accordingly, an agreement for CNG supply in Pune was effected between two CNG suppliers, Kalmadi said, claiming that CNG in the city would become a reality by 2005. "I assure you that by 2005, all PMT buses will operate on CNG. The move will go a long way to curb the growing vehicular pollution in the city," he added.

During the function, Chaudhari pointed out that the 20.40-metre long and 270-metre wide Kalyaninagar-Koregaon Park bridge would reduce the travelling distance from Nagar road and the city. The municipal corporation is planning to construct a new approach road to the Lohegaon airport from the Ramwadi check-post. The Rs 3.63-crore bridge can be used as an extension of this new link road to the airport.

Shinde was speaking following the foundation stone-laying ceremony for a flyover outside the University of Pune. Similar ceremonies were also held for a flyover at the Agriculture college chowk and a bridge on the Pavna river, planned by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. Speaking on the occasion, Kalmadi requested Lakhina to consider modifications in the flyover plans at the university and Agriculture college chowks in view of the upcoming international convention centre on the Senapati Bapat road.

Pune mayor Dipti Chaudhari, public works minister Vikramsingh Patankar, MSRDC managing director A K Lakhina, former ministers Chandrakant Chhajed, Balasaheb Shivarkar, former mayor Datta Gaikwad and Congress corporators were among those present on the occasion.

Mr. Suresh Kalmadi also said

• he had asked Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to grant three FSI (floor space index) instead of 2.5 so that more builders and developers would come forward for slum rehabilitation projects. He said he would be meeting Shinde next week Shinde to discuss it.
• Municipal Commissioner Nitin Kareer was asked to explore the possibility of constructing elevated road in the river bed from Warje to Kharadi.
• Kalmadi also asked the civic officials to take immediate steps to vacate stay order on the construction of road in the river bed.
• He said his party would cooperate with the administration in the anti-encroachment drive.
• Kalmadi said he had asked civic officials to expedite water supply project to make Pune free from water tankers till March next year.

Mr. Kalmadi opined that an expert committee is equipped to do so and recommend a systematic and transparent way of tackling dereservation proposals. ‘‘I want it to be a transparent system and I am willing to take the opposition with me for the sake of Pune. Everytime we are bogged down by some controversy or the other and development takes a backseat,’’ he observed. The committee is further needed considering that the DP is to be renewed in the year 2007, he added.

The other issues on forefront of Mr. Kalmadi's Agenda for Pune are

• PMC, MSEB to work out laying of a 21-km cable from Parvati to Rasta Peth.
• To canvas with private power cos for a 1,000 MW power plant for Pune on Build-operate-Transfer basis.
• Civil aviation ministry willing to invest in upgradation of Pune airport and increase watch hours for greater flight frequency.
• To seek a part of the Rs 100 crore per month income from power contributed by Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad for maintenance and infrastructure needs.
• To seek 3,000 acres land off Mumbai and Ahmednagar highways for IT sector.
• Has mooted an elevated road from Warje to Kharadi.
• New sub-stations at Jejuri , Phursungi.
• PMT to buy 200 buses, hire another 143.
• A delegation to visit Institute of Design in Chicago, US, for slum restructuring.
• Has discussed with Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar the need for CNG-run vehicles in Pune.

In a draft report, CRRI had detected certain design errors in the expressway like improper curvatures, inadequate shoulder width, absence of crash barriers and flaws in the space between two traffic ways. Correction of design and structural flaws in the 95-km expressway, light regulation in the tunnels, proper crash barriers and reflectors, ample signage and improvement of major junctions are some of the corrective measures.

MSRDC has appointed architect Hafeez Contractor to upgrade major junctions like Taloja and Panvel.