http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/14/AR2009091403322.html?hpid=artslot

NEW DELHI -- Nearly every road is dug up. Giant cranes and hazy dust
cloud the skyline. India's capital is in the midst of a breathless
construction overdrive in the run-up to an international sporting
event scheduled for next year.

But the makeover dream is fast turning into a nightmare.

A television news channel called Times Now asked viewers the painful
question \"Why can't we just get it right?\"

\"We want to show the world that we are a courteous and clean people.
We will teach people not to litter, spit and urinate in public spaces,
and tell the men not to harass or stare at women.\" said Reena Ray,
director of Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corp.

While Beijing built walls to hide the unsavory parts, New Delhi wants
a bamboo shield to conceal them.

\"We will use tall bamboo plants as a natural screen to block the view
of unseemly drains and slums,\" said Rakesh Mehta, the chief secretary
in the city government.

Gautam Bhatia, an independent architect and columnist, argued that
India is not a sporting nation and that instead of building new
state-of-the-art, air-conditioned sports facilities, the government
should invest in improving the quality of life of its people. Bhatia
wants India to call off the event.