PM tells games organisers to pull up socks

Sending out a clear message to the Commonwealth Games organisers that they are under close scrutiny, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday morning, inspected the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium - the venue for both the opening and closing ceremonies of the event – and later urged the organisers to speed up games-related work.

A statement from the prime minister's office said that during the 20-minute visit to the stadium, Singh ''urged all the authorities concerned to redouble their efforts towards quickly completing whatever works remained, as the people were expecting a spectacular and flawless opening for the Commonwealth Games''.

However, the prime minister reportedly praised the work carried out in the stadium.

Accompanied by sports minister M S Gill and organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, the prime minister inspected the field of play, spectator seats, media facilities and the royal box.

During his visit he also placed special emphasis on the security of the stadium.