Yet, no heads have rolled. Only a few small fries have been shown the door. The IPL saw the resignation of the minister of state for external affairs, Shashi Tharoor. But no such fate has befallen the big guns of the Commonwealth Games despite the charges of malfeasance and ineptitude that they are facing.

Few Indians will be surprised, however, by the revelations about shady deals and disgraceful delays in the completion of the sporting arenas. Their experience in daily life tells them that nothing happens without money changing hands, especially where valuable property is concerned.

Given the amount of money involved in the Games - $ 1.6 billion - it was only to be expected that the leading lights would fail the stern test of financial probity. After all, they are citizens of a country which is ranked 84th out of 180 in the Transparency International's corruption index. Moreover, India has descended to this position from being 72nd in the list in 2007.

If the government has belatedly intervened, the reason is the sudden realization that India will become a laughing stock of the world if there are persistent reports about mammoth swindles and sub-standard facilities. As it is, some of the well-known athletes like lightning-fast sprinter Usain Bolt and world heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis have decided to give the Games a miss. More will stay away if there are continuing misgivings about the arrangements.

There is little doubt that the government should have stepped in much earlier, especially after learning last year that work on 13 out of 19 venues were running behind schedule. But this was the second mistake. The first was to repose so much faith in the Indian Olympic Association and in its president, Suresh Kalmadi, who is currently in the eye of the storm over the allegations of corruption.

That such a major event where the prestige of the nation was involved required greater supervision right from the start was obvious. This is now being provided by the Group of Ministers headed by the urban development minister, Jaipal Reddy. But the step can be regarded as something of a half-measure since Kalmadi's associates have claimed that his wings have not been clipped.

Nor is there any certainty that the exemplary punishment promised by the government for the guilty will be meted out once the Games are over and the scandals begin to fade from public memory.

It is surprising that the warning provided by the IPL scam was ignored. Compared to the Games, the cricketing extravaganza is a minor event since cricket is played by nine or 10 Commonwealth countries. The Games, however, involve 72. The result is that India will now have to keep its collective fingers crossed so that the event does not meet with a disaster.

Yet, the fact that things were not moving according to plan was evident to all residents of Delhi. For instance, while there was initial appreciation for the repair and renovation work to make Connaught Place look as splendidly shining as when it was first built in the 1920s, it soon became clear that the authorities had taken on too much for the tasks to be completed by October. At present, visiting the area is a nightmare. Another fear is that the flyovers are being built too hurriedly to be stable.

One reason why the government has stepped in is the realization that the ruling alliance, and mainly the Congress, will suffer a huge loss of face if something calamitous happens. In fact, the electoral implications of a monumental failure must have forced the government's hand.

Given the success of the Beijing Olympics, India simply cannot allow the Games to fail, for it will not only be a blow to the country's self-respect, but also confirm that it is lagging far behind China in fields other than economic development. Pakistan will be delighted, of course, but other countries in the neighbourhood, which do not harbour any ill-will towards India, will also be disheartened.

It is not that India hasn't held such sporting occasions earlier, but they had close official supervision. The Asian Games of 1951 and 1982 held in Delhi were not plagued by the kind of uncertainties enveloping the Commonwealth Games. However, the earlier events were relatively smaller ones. Only 11 countries participated in the 1951 Games and 33 in 1982.

The Afro-Asian Games held in Hyderabad in 2003 were a bigger affair since 96 countries were present. But the number of athletes at the Commonwealth Games will be more than double the 2,000 who took part in the Afro-Asian Games.

In the end, all may turn out well. But the fact that the fiasco has taught the powers-that-be a salutary lesson is evident from the decision not to bid for the next Asian Games. India should let its position improve in the corruption index before staging these high-value events. (IPA Service)