Doubts have been cast over whether preparations for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games will be completed in time, following concerns over athletes' accommodation.

Competitors are due to start arriving at Delhi's Athletes' Village on 23 September, but the living conditions have been criticised by both the English and Scottish delegations. Team Scotland said that its original allocation of accommodation was "unsafe and unfit for human habitation" and that its own management had to ensure alternative facilities were up to standard.

Scotland chef de mission Jon Doig said: "While we are a considerable way down the track to resolving our own specific accommodation issues, moving those arriving first has simply pushed the problems further down the line. "The other countries will be arriving soon and the organisers will simply be overwhelmed by the volume of the problems they face unless they take action now. Those countries already here have articulated this at the highest level."

Commonwealth Games England (CGE) said that it is still "optimistic" about participating at the Games, but is concerned at the amount of work that still needs to be done. A CGE spokesperson said: "There is a lot still to be done in the Village and this needs to be done with some urgency so that it is ready for the arrival of our first athletes on Friday [24 September]."

Michael Fennell, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has written to India's government to express "great concern" at how long preparations are taking and the impact of tight security. "The problems are arising because deadlines for the completion of the Village have been consistently pushed out. Now, the high security around the site, while vital, is slowing progress and complicating solutions," he said.

Dr Lalit Bhanot, secretary general of the Games' organising committee, insists that some of the work needed to ensure residential areas are ready to welcome athletes has already got underway. However, preparations were dealt a further blow with the collapse of a footbridge outside the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, which is to provide access between the venue and a car park.

The Telegraph said that 19 people were injured in the incident, which is believed to have happened when workers were applying a concrete layer to the bridge.