24 Jan, 2008. NEW DELHI: Amid doubts being expressed from various quarters about the availability of adequate number of hotel rooms for the Commonwealth Games 2010, the Bed and Breakfast Scheme launched in the capital has come as a ray of hope, providing around 600 rooms so far. 

"We are monitoring the availability of sites for the Games in the National Capital Region -- in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad. We are in constant communication with them (the states). It is under very close review," Union Tourism Secretary S Banerjee said here today. 

He was responding to a question on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing dissatisfaction at the pace of preparations for the Games and whether his Ministry was confident of getting the necessary number of hotel rooms in place before 2010. 

He said there has been a "good effect" of the Bed and Breakfast Scheme. "More than 200 units have been registered in Delhi alone, which means 600 rooms have been made available. This is equivalent to two new hotels," Banerjee said. 

He said the issue of improving the tourism infrastructure nationwide was taken up at a day-long conference of state tourism secretaries. 

Among the infrastructure needs that were identified are providing connectivity -- through air, rail and road, bridging the shortfall of hotel rooms and meeting the requirement of trained manpower for the tourism sector. Banerjee said there was a shortfall of around 1.5 lakh hotel rooms, out of which there was a shortage of one lakh in the budget category