Minister Urges Delhi Motorists to Get Into Gear Before 2010 Commonwealth Games

Lane indiscipline, jumping red lights and driving at high speed are notorious but pervasive habits of many a Delhi motorist.

Too many Delhi motorists, the country's home minister said as he called on drivers in the Indian capital to "change their mindsets" before the city hosts next year's Commonwealth Games.

Palaniappan Chidambaram told a gathering of police officers that residents needed to start behaving as "citizens of a big, good international city".

The games are one of the sporting world's big events - 8,000 athletes from 71 nations are expected to take part in 2010.

But one of the big concerns facing Delhi is traffic, and the minister said: "We still find vehicles jumping red lights ... police vehicles are not excluded – they too jump red lights.

"We cannot expect mega-city policing to function properly if people do not change their behaviour."

The Harvard-educated minister, seen as one of the government's biggest hitters, added: "We want to encourage people to change their mindset. We must behave as citizens of a big, good international city."

Experts were quick to back the minister. Dipankar Gupta, a professor of sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University, said breaking the law is a "fashion statement" in Delhi.

"People don't follow traffic rules because they know they can break the law and get away with it," he added.

Delhi won the right to host the Commonwealth Games after several failed bids. However, organisers have been criticised for the slow pace of work.

According to a leaked report by the government's auditor earlier this year, work on 13 stadiums was behind schedule. The boxing, hockey, swimming and rugby sites were half finished.