New Delhi:
With the Commonwealth Games just two weeks away, many in New Delhi are in no mood for celebration, with grumpy residents set to jet off in their droves rather than stay home to enjoy the spectacle.
All schools and colleges and a few government offices have been ordered to close for the duration of the October 3-14 event in a bid to reduce congestion on the city's already overloaded roads.
The opportunity to take holidays has been eagerly seized by middle class Delhiites, many of whom see the unpopular games as a symbol of excess, corruption and public incompetence.
The daily English language newspapers are filled with advertisements from travel agents offering "Commonwealth Escape Packages" to Thailand, Malaysia or Europe.
"We've seen a 60-70 percent rise in bookings," said Pratima Thakar, a senior manager for the makemytrip.com online travel agency. "Clients have booked holidays in October since they know the city is going to be closed during the Games."
Others are choosing to explore destinations in India, leaving the construction sites and last-minute rush to finish sporting venues in New Delhi behind.
"Goa, Kerala and neighbouring places like Jaipur and Shimla are hugely popular," Rajji Rai, president of the Travel Agents Association of India said.
"People are showing their anger and aggression against the Games by leaving the city. As a result we are seeing a huge rise in bookings for both national and international travel."
The exodus is bad news for organisers, who face a storm of criticism from residents over the three-billion-dollar price tag, embarrassing delays and the disruption to everyday life in the city.
An estimated 7,000 athletes and officials are due in New Delhi for the Commonwealth Games which brings together sportsmen and women from former countries of the British empire.
A recent Times of India poll found that 76 percent of Delhi residents felt the estimated three-billion-dollar cost of the Games was unjustified, and 50 percent said preparations had severely disrupted their lives.
Rachna Seth, a 33-year-old housewife, is one of the many heading on holiday. She and her husband have booked to go to Thailand with their two small children.
"They have no idea about the games so why should I waste my time in the city which will have a curfew-like situation?" she said. "It makes more sense for me to go for a holiday."
And it's not just the outflow of people that is troubling organisers. The expected wave of tourist arrivals has not materialised either.
One industry insider said tourism was depressed despite efforts by organisers to promote the city. He compared sales to the period after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks when many foreigners stayed away India.
"The amount pumped into tourism for Commonwealth games is anyone's guess and the situation for tourism will be like what it was post the Mumbai terror attacks," said Rajindera Kumar, president of the Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI).
Negative publicity internationally has led to a lacklustre response from tourists, with many countries issuing travel advisories and warnings about terrorism or mosquito-borne disease dengue.
On Sunday, gunmen on a motorbike shot and injured two Taiwanese tourists outside the capital's biggest mosque, raising anxiety about safety despite assurances from local authorities about security measures are in place.
The travel office for the Games booked 15,000 hotel rooms in advance across the national capital in anticipation of 100,000 tourists that were forecast to come to Delhi.