A chance to redeem pride

With the Fifa World Cup just round the corner and all the 32 teams are eager to put their best foot forward to the coveted title, the one month long extravaganza, considered perhaps the biggest after Olympics is surely going to garner lot of attentions all around the globe.

But sadly for soccer lovers many of the great giants like England’s David Becham, Brazil star Ronaldinho, Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast , Miguel Sabah of Mexico and most recently Rio Ferdinand who was about to lead England in Becham’s absence will be missed in action. Germany has the hardest of luck since it’s also going to miss both Michael Ballack and it’s star goalkeeper Rene Adler owing to injuries. Ronaldinho however missed the bus as he was not selected in this year’s WC squad by the national team’s coach.

May be with the injuries to key players, the spirits of several team may be dampen but it’s also going to give opportunities to several youngsters to curve their niche in the mega event.

Germany may miss out players like Michael Ballack but likes of Sami Khedira and Piotr Trochowski. Trochowski has a considerable advantage in the experience department. Sami Khedira also had a great season to perform for the team.

Netherland’s Wesley Sneijder has proven track record with the national team. alongside Mark Van Bommel, Rafael Van Der Vaart, and Nigel De Jong will certainly make Dutch team’s midfield a force to reckon with.

Having won Copa America in 2007 and Fifa Confederations Cup in 2009 and also Champions League earlier this year Brazil is certainly the clear favourites once again. Brazil’s is in G group which is being considered as the "Group of Death," which includes Ivory Coast, Portugal and North Korea. In the last World Cup, Brazil did not have a mental preparation and a winning attitude. However, this time for South Africa 2010, Brazil have a new coach whose mentality seems much stronger than before.

Argentina’s coach Diego Maradona has lot to proof this year. He has already declared his team as better than his world Cup winning team in 1986, which he lead during his side’s title win in Mexico. Maradona will is going to have most talented sides and players of our generation — the likes of Lionel Messi, and Gonzalo Higuain, whose 27 goals for Real Madrid came behind only Messi in the Spanish league this season. Only a month ago England's manager Fabio Capello singled out the Argentina side as the "most talented" in the 32-nation tournament.

England’s Wayne Rooney has lot of task in hand owing to the absence of star players like David Becham and Ferdinand, making the side look vulnerable this time. He is the will go all out to shine for England this time as all hopes rest on him now. Alex Ferguson has already declared him to be the best footballer for England for thirty years and is already the fourth best paid player in football history.

Fan’s are waiting in anticipation to find not only which side will lift this years World Cup trophy but also the golden boot award. Even if some players are missing in action, this World Cup keepers the soccer followers with their fingers crossed and keep them entertaining.

Gole Market traders unhappy with slow beautification work

Situated in the heart of New Delhi, Gole Market like most of the markets in national capital boast of innumerable grocery shops, dozens of medicos, many cyber-cafes, and lots of every types of shops from photography studios to electrical shops to bookshops or stationery shops. Large number of shops also sell sweets, wine and beer , handicrafts and several others. . This market is considered to be every foodies delight

Even though this market is situated very near to Connaught Place , where renovation work is at it’s peak, the beautification of this area is unfortunately moving on at very slowly. The shopkeepers here fear that with this kind of speed the authorities may not be able finish the work on time as expected.

Goga Jain, who is the secretary of Gole Market Merchants Association here, says that with this kind of pace they wont be able to complete the renovation work before three years. “There is no development here. The pavements were digged 4feet deep high and five feet wide for development work and labourers are also not regular on the job. Those people who were given contract for the job by NDMC say that they cant work more efficiently as they are not getting payments frm the authorities”, he says.

Jain feels that pathetic conditions of the roads and pavements here make it difficult for the customers come here for shopping. Because of this our business is getting affected. The association here have also spoken to NDMC, which had promised them of finishing the work in time, but it seems very difficult now.

Further elaborating on the troubles that the traders and consumers are facing due to the ongoing work, Narayan Shamnani, president of the association says, “The authorities have covered the frontage of shops with iron pipes and nets, due to which several areas of Gole Market is occupied with garbage of removed plaster etc which should have been removed long back”

On several occasions, association has requested the contractors and civil department of NDMC to remove the garbage and speed up the work, but they end up blaming each other. For such an important project there are only four or five labourers workingSome of the shops here are without any roofs which were removed six months ago and nothing was done on it,.he adds. The association has also sent a letter on this to NDMC.

Relating to the ongoing project, Jain says that the authorities had also recently planned to shift some of the shops in the inner area of the market where authorities were planning to build a heritage musuem. But on this, a case is pending in High Court. The shopkeepers are being are being favoured by the Court. It seems they might not be removed from the market.

Because of the delaying work here, traffic has also added to the chaos. There is no proper are for parking Gole Market. Shopkeepers her say that even if a customer park their car nearby and come her to buy their requirements they will find traffic policemen waiting for them when they return to their car. Even the traders have to park their car some distance away from their shops.

Jain further feels, “The authorities are also planning to build overbridge or underbridge near the planne heritage museum, but with so much chaos on traffic they may find it difficult to build a parking area.

A shopkeeper even feels that as the authorities are taking so long to finish off thw work they can give supervision power to the association here, which can hlp them to finish of the project on time.

There are Just recently Reebok has also opened a showroom opposite the Bata showroom. But the area is well known for sweet shops several outlets like Karachi Halwai, Delhi Sweets, Aggarwal Sweets, Odeon Sweets, Bangla Sweet House are here.

Recently the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the body that manages activities and funds at the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh had also suggested that they are planning to construct grand Balaji temple in Gole Market, which they hope complete by December this year.

Connaught Place getting restored to its old glory

Connaught Place, probably the most popular shopping centre in Delhi, would soon acquire its original, decades-old look. The renovation and development work, which started a couple of years ago, is soon going to be completed.

With a budget of around Rs 500 crore, NDMC is working hard to finish it on time keeping the Commonwealth Games in mind. Anand Tiwari, a senior NDMC official, says: "The work in CP was earlier divided into three components: façade, or restoration of the partially damaged buildings; repairs in the service corridors in Middle Circle by putting in place a two-metre tunnel for services like electricity connections, water pipe lines and telecommunication networks; and constructing new subways and repairing the old ones. The works will soon be completed."
NDMC hopes to finish façade restoration by June. The other works relating to subways and work on the tunnel will be over by September, says Tiwari

The work here is in the full swing. Baba Kharak Singh Marg, which was earlier closed to facilitate construction of the new Airport Express Line by Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC), was opened recently. Also, the Yusufzai Market in outer circle, which is famous for its eating joints such as the Kake Da Hotel and Hyderabadi Biryani House, has been given a facelift. Even though it took a year to complete the work, shopkeepers here are happy with the outcome.

Atul Bhargava, president, New Delhi Traders Association, says: "Once the work is completed, CP will soon become a world class shopping centre. Authorities are working round the clock for it. It might take another six to 12 months for the completion of the entire work. Even though some shopkeepers are not sure whether the entire work will be finished before the opening of the CWG, senior NDMC officials have promised that the work will be finished by that time."

Although the ongoing work is creating difficulties for the general public, mainly traffic chaos, but once the work is over, everything will be fine. There is no gain without pain, he says.
Bhargava further adds, "The redevelopment work in Connaught Place was required as there were some buildings which needed urgent attention. The buildings which are 75 years old are to be called heritage buildings."

Connaught Place is swarming with beggars and pavement vendors who need to be evicted. The itinerant traders who are doing business on the pavements with proper licenses need to be resettled properly. The Delhi Police are also maintaining law and order in the area commendably, he informs.

The coming up of Metro Station has also helped CP traders as it has also increased the number of customers. There are close to 200 big shops, 150 small shops, four cinema houses, 70 restaurants, 70 banks (both national and private), 500-1,000 offices here.

Another businessman, S Mehra, is happy with the progress of the development work, but is a bit apprehensive over certain issues. "The work that is being done is certainly good for the area. Hopefully it will improve the business but there are certain things. They want to declare some buildings here as heritage ones. But how can building in a commercial area be declared as heritage buildings?" he asks.

With the renovation work going on in the entire CP, authorities are also focusing on overhauling of Pallika Bazar in the inner circle. A new AC plant is being constructed here. Electricity work is also being renewed. CM Khanna, who has been doing business here since Independence, says: "The work hare has started since last two-three months back. NDMC is planning to transform the area into a fascinating shopping complex. The work will most probably be finished by September."

With the work going on rapidly, CP will once again be in original form soon. A nostalgic Khanna says: "In 1947 CP was India's biggest retail shopping place. It still is. It will become one of the world's best shopping areas. Foreign tourists will be pleased to visit here. Even Rome was not built in a day. It took time."

The inner circle offers almost all the international brands, restaurants, eateries, bars and excellent bookshops. Customers can buy whatever they want from here. Some of the restaurants like McDonalds are open till 1 am.

The new-look Connaught Place will not only improve the image of New Delhi as a whole but also be able to present a better shopping outlet during the Commonwealth Games.

Shankar Market keenly awaits beautification

Situated on the periphery of Connaught Place, Shankar Market is one of the biggest garment hubs in Delhi which offer a wide range of clothing options to its customers. The market came into being in 1959, but the shops were allotted to the shopkeepers only in 1980s. The shops open here at 11 a.m. and shuts down by 8 p.m.

Considered as one of the cheapest markets around Connaught Place, it merits attention of people from all walks of life for shopping.

One of the important features of this market place is that it is encroachment free.
As Delhi has got date with Commonwealth Games(CWG) in October 2010, and only a few months are left for the completion of development work, the Connaught Place is being given a new look; Shankar Market has is also getting facelift. Renovation work is going on here on fast track.

Ramesh Handa, vice-president of Shankar Market Traders Associ-ation, says, "The redevelopment work here started almost five months ago. There are plans to set up more streetlights, steel benches and flower pots inside the market. Keeping parking in mind, the road outside the market will also be made wider. The way NDMC is working in this area, it seems it will soon be ready to welcome foreigners during CWG."

Even though it is part of Conn-aught Place, Shankar Market lacks proper toilets. The shopkeepers have been pleasing with the authorities on this count for the past 15 years, but nothing on this has been done yet, says Handa.

The security of market also remains a concern as there are no proper arrangements. The seven blocks here do not have even a single CCTV camera installed. There are only a few guards who take care of the market. Handa feels that CCTV cameras are not required since it is an open market and there are no space to install those camera, and also no big incident have occurred here till now compared to several other markets.

Several people use drugs during the daytime on the main road adjoining the market. "Some can be seen having smack in the outer premises of the market almost daily. The police have so far failed to take any concrete action against these miscreants. They regularly steal items from the shops and also misbehave with women, and this brings bad name to the market," says Handa.
A shopkeeper, Raghuveer Chawla, feels that there is no coordination between the authorities who are working for the beautification of this area. He says, "The work is not being done in a proper manner. Instead of working on the beautification of pavements, they should have concentrated on the sewage problem and other maintenance work. The condition of the walls here is also pathetic. They are yet to start work on this."

There was a fire accident at the nearby Mayur Bhavan three years ago. Till today, the top three floors where the accident took place are empty. The authorities certainly should take care of it as it will spoil the beautification work of Shankar Market, say local shopkeepers.
People here are quite happy at the revamp work. A shopkeeper says, "The growth in CP will only help us. More tourists will visit us during the Games. Even though people are facing problems because of traffic these days, but soon it will all change and Connaught Place will become pride of Delhi."