Figures released today show that the number of accidents reported on New Delhi's roads in the period up until June 15 has increased from 384 in 2008 to 415 this year.

 

S N Shrivastava, the Commissioner of Traffic at the New Delhi Police, has laid the blame at the door of the Commonweath Games, which has led to a massive building project being undertaken in the city.

 

He said: “Due to simultaneous construction work at different places in Delhi, the traffic is very turbulent.

 

"There is a lot of obstruction on the roads, and this is responsible for the increase in the number of accidents."

 

It is estimated that more than 2,000 people are killed each year in traffic accidents in New Delhi, half of which are pedestrians.

 

There are currently 24 fly-overs under construction in Delhi while 163 accidents have been reported on a new ring road being built for the Games, including 23 deaths, more than half of them pedestrians.

 

Yesterday two men were injured when after their motor-bike fell into a giant pothole that opened up in the middle of where a fly-over is being built.

 

Other blackspots include the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where 18 people have lost their lives.

 

An outer ring road, meanwhile, being built for the Games has reported 99 accidents.

 

There are already major concerns that in the race to get everything ready for the Games, the biggest event to be held in India since the 1982 Asian Games and what is considered to be a forerunner to a bid to host the 2020 Olympics, safety is being compromised.

 

Last month a builder working on updating the Commonwealth Games Stadium was killed when a cement mixer fell on him.

 

That was the fourth accident in the a period 12 days at a construction site in New Delhi, which claimed seven lives and left 21 injured.

The three other accidents took place on Delhi Metro sites.

On July 12, six workers were killed and 15 injured when an bridge under construction collapsed in South Delhi's Zamrudpur.

The next day, four cranes snapped during debris clearance operations at the same site, injuring six workers.