‘People can do things very fast here,but at the last moment’

In an exclusive interview to Newsline,Birch also listed out the domino effect that numerous problems created. There was no time for rigging equipment (something that was greatly visible in the end use of aerostat),erratic power supply damaged sophisticated equipment and lights worth crores of rupees,there was no time for rehearsals,and there were rains that just would not stop.

“The stadium was handed over to us very late,and there was no time left for anything. Lifting men up the aerostat needed rigging of the equipment and special rehearsals,but there was no time. Another drawback at the stadium was its very light-weight roof,which we knew could not hold the special lights very well,” says Birch.

Despite all this,India has impressed Birch. “People can do things very fast here. But somehow there is always a wait for the last moment to speed up. While the initial plan was to hand over the ready venue to us on December 31 last year,the deadlines were pushed as far as September 21. We still ended up having a very good international event,” he says.

The most important decision,he feels,was to build a tunnel under the stadium,which allowed 8,000 performers to emerge from under the ground in the middle of the stadium and eased the entry of 4,500 athletes. “The CPWD engineers refused to do the tunnel as there was very little time left. But Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit just insisted this had to be done,and then there was no option but to do it. And it was done.”

Birch,an Australian based out of Mexico,is the Chief International Advisor for the aerostat project,as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. While Birch had his eyes on the Delhi Games since 2003,when India won the bid,it was not until September 2008,that his company,Spectak Productions,sent its proposal and won the bid.

He says the major hassle was with accreditation and entry into the stadium,as the Delhi Police was too confused about the list of things that were allowed inside. “With just 12 days left and monsoons at its peak,it was a hard time. Then a day before the event,the police shut down the generators. Over 1,200 sophisticated lights,worth millions,were damaged,” he rues.

Birch heads back to Mexico on Sunday night.