NEW DELHI (AFP) Indias day of destiny finally arrived Sunday with the Commonwealth Games due to begin in a fortress-like New Delhi after a shambolic run-up that threatened to derail the event. Britains Prince Charles was due to get the troubled showpiece underway at 1330 GMT during a Bollywood-inspired opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as the last-minute scramble to get set went to the wire. Amid fears militants might attack the quadrennial competition, nearly 100,000 police and paramilitary forces have been drafted in to lockdown the Indian capital with all bazaars and malls ordered to shut for the day. Major traffic restrictions were also in place with security forces lining roads leading to high-walled stadiums encircled by barbed wire fences and armed guards posted behind sandbag positions, with helicopters thundering overhead. Since 2008, when Pakistan-based Islamist militants killed 166 people in a 60-hour assault in Mumbai, India has been fearful the Games, which feature 71 nations and territories formerly belonging to the British Empire, could be hit. Western governments have persistently warned of the threat of a militant attack during the event, which runs until October 14. But Delhi police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal has promised foolproof security, adding that every officer is on the job 24/7. So far the event has been a public relations disaster. Many of the sports venues have only been completed in recent weeks, the athletes village was slammed for being filthy and equipment has been installed hastily as the clock ticks down. Highlighting the last-minute rush, a new metro line linking central Delhi with the main Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to ferry people to the opening ceremony was only inaugurated Sunday morning. Instead of showcasing emerging India, the Games have been a national embarrassment, highlighting the corruption and inefficiency in its bureaucracy. Compounding the problems, the Games was hit by an unconfirmed case of dengue fever on Sunday, with Indian lawn balls manager Ruptu Gogoi taken to hospital. Seven Delhi residents have died of dengue this year with some officials blaming stagnant water at Games venues and an unusually heavy monsoon. But with the official opening now imminent, Delhi chief minister Shelia Dikshit said it was time to focus on the sport. Yes, we are all set to go, she told local media when asked if Delhi was ready, adding that the blame game would come after the event. It is the first time India has hosted the Games and only the second time the event has been held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur in 1998, but a slew of top names have pulled out, dealing another devastating blow to organisers. Absentees include Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, tennis aces Andy Murray, Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, swimmer Stephanie Rice and cyclist Chris Hoy. But some 4,300 athletes have turned up to compete in 272 events across 17 sports, including aquatics, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling. Australia has topped the medals table in the last five Games and is expected to do so again, with chef-de-mission Steve Moneghetti on Sunday expressing confidence that the event would be a success. And in a boost to India, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge told local television that the country could still make a serious bid to host an Olympics, despite the Commonwealth Games problems. There is a difference between Olympics and Commonwealth Games. The Olympics is bigger and more complicated, Indias Zeenews quoted him as saying. But I think India has set a good foundation stone for the Olympics bid and a successful Commonwealth Games can help India mount a serious bid for the Olympics.