New Delhi:
Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi on Tuesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and assured him that the preparations for next year's Commonwealth Games were on track despite mounting concerns about the tardy pace of work.
Kalmadi, also the chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, said the Prime Minister promised all support for the successful conduct of the event, scheduled in October next year.
"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Government was fully aware that it was a matter of pride for India to be hosting the Commonwealth Games here next year and that it would leave no stone unturned to ensure the successful conduct of the Games," the IOA chief said in a statement.
Kalmadi said Singh described hosting the Games as a matter of "national prestige".
He assured the Prime Minister that the Organising Committee was working round the clock to ensure that India delivers a memorable and successful Games.
Kalmadi also briefed the Prime Minister about the recent security conference for the Heads of Missions and the International Security Liaison Conference to be held in the Capital from on Wednesday.
"I have never had doubts about Government's commitment to the conduct of the Commonwealth Games and I came away very satisfied with the meeting today," said Kalmadi.
The IOA chief has also invited Singh to visit the headquarters of the Organising Committee.
The meeting assumes significance as preparations for the Games have been criticised by the Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell in a letter to the organising committee.
Fennell has also sought a audience with Prime Minister to discuss Delhi's preparations.
In a damning report on the capital's preparations, the CGF has expressed fears that the Games could end up being a partial failure.
A defiant Kalmadi has, however, maintained all along that the city would be ready to host the event despite admitting that Fennell's letter has served as a wake-up call.
Even Delhi's chief minister Sheila Dikshit has conceded to being nervous about the Games' build-up.