The Indian government has painted a stark picture of construction delays for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, saying more than half the work needed to be completed in 12 of the 17 projects.
A statement in parliament by the junior sports minister reflected a race against time for the October games next year, which has faced delays from the planning stage and then cost increases due to the rise in prices of steel, cement and labour.
However the minister Pratik Prakashbapu Patil has expressed confidence the venues will be ready before the games.
The athletics venue in the main Jawaharlal Nehru stadium complex and the games village are only half completed while a meagre seven percent work was finished in the archery arena.
Organisers said last month that higher construction costs would force the games to go 6-8 percent over the planned $2.5 billion budget.
