Jaipur funeral for Indian royal

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he funeral of one of the last Indian royals, Gayatri Devi, is set to take place at the Jaipur cremation grounds used by the former royal family.

Gayatri Devi, once described as one of the most beautiful women in the world, died on Wednesday at the age of 90.

She was hospitalised about 10 days ago with stomach and respiratory problems in Jaipur before dying on Wednesday.

Born in to a royal family, she became the third wife of Sawai Man Singh, the Maharajah of Jaipur, in 1939.

Thousands of people are gathering in the Rajasthani city of Jaipur ahead of the planned funeral, the Reuters news agency reports.

The fashion icon broke with tradition and won popular support when she was elected to parliament in 1962. She was re-elected twice.

Jail

Gayatri Devi was born into the royal family of Cooch Behar in 1919.

She supported education for women and founded a prestigious school in Jaipur, now the capital of Rajasthan state.

In an interview with The Times of India, she recalled as a young girl going out hunting, sitting on the neck of an elephant.

She became the third Maharani of Jaipur in 1939, marrying into a lavish lifestyle.

The family, in effect, ruled the city of Jaipur and the surrounding area in the western Indian desert kingdom.

They spent the summers in Europe and educated their children at elite schools in England.
Gayatri Devi loved tennis and polo, and was a talented horse rider, while her taste in saris and jewellery, inherited from her mother, made her a glamorous fashion icon.

Vogue magazine once listed her among the "World's Ten Most Beautiful Women".

During the 1970s, the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi abolished the last royal privileges, and Gayatri Devi was jailed for five months for violating tax laws.

In later life, Gayatri Devi became known affectionately as Rajmata, or Queen Mother, still greatly admired for her natural grace and beauty.

She is survived by two grandchildren.

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Court allows Indian Games village

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he Supreme Court in India has lifted restrictions on construction work at the site of next year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

The court overruled a Delhi High Court order that had put the restrictions in place because of environmental worries.

Officials have warned that the country could miss out on hosting the games unless construction work gains pace.

They argued that a dispute over the building of an athletes' village in Delhi needed to be speedily resolved.

Seriously delayed

Critics say that improvements to infrastructure in the city are moving at an excruciatingly slow pace but the authorities say they remain on target to meet construction deadlines.

They say that construction work on several stadiums due to be used in the games has been seriously delayed.

Games organisers plan to build the athletes' village next to the River Yamuna.

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the government had observed "due process of the law" by issuing notice of its intention to begin construction work as long ago as September 1999, when it invited suggestions and objections from citizens and various organisations.

A petition challenging the construction activities was filed in 2007. The petition alleged that that construction activities were being carried out on the river bed and the flood plain of the Yamuna river.

"The High Court should not have entertained the petition at all," the Supreme Court ruling said.

Last week the head of the Commonwealth Games praised Delhi on progress made in preparations but added that deadlines still appeared to be narrow.

'Good progress'

Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell met Indian officials and ministers on July 21.

"The organising committee is moving on the right path," he told the AFP news agency. "One is never satisfied till the work has been finished, but overall I got the feeling that things are under control."

"Concerns over deadlines and schedules remain, but I was satisfied to see that the government has paid a lot of attention to the preparations. They have made a good progress."


Mr Fennell said that he was also happy with security plans for the tournament, an issue which has been of some concern to people planning such events following last year's terror attacks in Mumbai.

His comments came after the Indian sports ministry conceded that only five of the 17 venues for training and competition were more than half completed.

The games are India's biggest event since the 1982 Asian Games and are scheduled for October 3-14.

Organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi said 90 percent of the stadiums would be ready by December and the remaining two stadiums would be completed in March 2010.

The government says that it hopes to upgrade thousands of guest houses in Delhi to cope with the rush of tourists expected fro the games.

A survey of more than 23,000 rooms in the capital city's guest houses has shown that only 11,000 will be able to meet the standards for budget tourists.

The survey, commissioned by India's tourism ministry, rated the rooms according to guidelines for hygiene, location, safety and security.

At least 75% are in the city's Paharganj area, known for its affordable hotels, restaurants and shops.

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