Manmohan Singh will meet Gill and Jaipal Reddy, who heads the Group of Ministers overseeing the Games’ preparations, here this evening in the face of the mounting international criticism of the country’s preparedness to hold the event, sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The meeting comes two days after international delegates lambasted the Games Village as ‘filthy and uninhabitable’ and top teams such as Canada, Scotland and New Zealand delayed their departure to the Indian capital.

The Games’ build-up has been nothing short of disaster which has only grown in proportion ever since allegations of corruption first came out.

Apart from accusations of inefficiency, the Organising Committee and the government have also been left embarrassed by the collapse of a foot over-bridge near the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, which is the main venue for the mega-event.

The first multi-sport international event being held in India since the 1982 Asian Games threatens to become a national embarrassment with several top athletes already pulling out and some more adopting a wait-and-watch policy before taking a final call.

Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael Fennell will be arriving in India to review the Games preparations on the occasion of the opening of the Athletes’ village. He may meet the Prime Minister to press for his continual intervention to save the mega-event.

Amid rising concerns over security arrangements for next month’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, Home Minister P Chidambaram is taking stock of the security arrangements by various agencies.

He is meeting representatives of 20 security agencies. The meeting follows a warning by a top US counter-terrorism official that the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi will be an ‘appealing target’ for Pakistan-based terror group LeT due to its political and economic significance for India.

A day after her government was directed by Union Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar to take charge of the Commonwealth Games village, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today took stock of maintenance and cleanliness facilities at the complex here.

The handing over the village in East Delhi to Delhi government came after criticism over poor maintenance and filthy conditions at the village complex where sports persons would be staying.

Meanwhile, with mounting fears of safety issues surrounding the Commonwealth Games, Australia is sending a team of top police officials to New Delhi to provide a high-level security cordon for its athletes.

The New Zealand team will delay its departure for the Commonwealth Games by at least two days because of the ‘tremendously disappointing’ state of the athletes’ village in New Delhi, the New Zealand Olympic Committee said today.

New Zealand’s swimming squad is in Dubai and the rugby sevens team is also expected to gather in the United Arab Emirates for practice before the Commonwealth Games.

The bulk of the other New Zealand athletes were expected to transit through Singapore, meaning many could stay away from India until later next week.

The maintenance of the Games Village was till now under the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) which is under direct control of the Union Urban Development Ministry.

A senior Delhi Government official said the Chief Minister took round of all the towers and reviewed the work being undertaken there.

‘She instructed the officials to work on a war-footing to ensure cleanliness to ensure that athletes do not face any problem. She said the job should be in close coordination with the Organising Committee,’ the official said.

Aussies not taking chances