Catch 22: No tickets here,no spectators either

“Many of the people who had come for tickets were turned back. The volunteers were unclear about what was happening. Some said the computers were not working,while others said tickets were sold out,” said Sunitha,a resident of Vikaspuri.

“I was coming towards the stadium when I found the road blocked by people who had come to buy tickets. They were told that they were not available anymore,” said Dilip Bhushan who had got his ticket from the Central Bank in Connaught Place.

Ironically,people are being turned back from ticket counters at a time when the Organising Committee is upset about people not queuing up to purchase tickets.

At Central Bank outlets across the city,Newsline saw about 20-30 people waiting to buy tickets. At one such outlet in Central Delhi,Suresh Kumar,a clerk with the Archaeological Survey of India,is busy filling up his form. “I am purchasing tickets for my family for hockey and gymnastics,” he says,adding that he will be buying the Rs 100 tickets. The person manning the ticket counter says,“We have sold 75 tickets today but we had expected much more sales.”

Outside Thyagaraj Stadium,the scene is somewhat similar. A family of three had just bought tickets minutes before the netball match at the stadium.

Kamlesh Gupta,a housewife says,“I am excited about the Games. This is the first time I am going for any live match. But I am surprised we got tickets just before the match.”