GUWAHATI, July 14 � The Queen�s Baton, an integral part of the Commonwealth Games (CWG), will reach here on July 20 and after a day-long programme in the city, the relay will leave for Meghalaya in the afternoon.
The Baton left Buckingham Palace in London on October 29 last year and before reaching the 2010 Games venue in New Delhi it will have covered 1,90,000 km in 340 days.
Elaborating about the programme in a press conference here today, State Forest Minister and general secretary of the Assam Olympic Association (AOA) Rockybul Hussain said a team of the CWG organising committee will arrive here with the Baton at around 11 am on July 20. At 2 pm, the Baton will be received by Hussain at the RG Baruah Sports Complex in a function and will hand it over to State Chief Secretary Naba Kumar Das and DGP Sankar Baruah who will receive it on behalf of the State Government.
The Baton will be relayed upto Ulubari flyover and from their it will be taken to the Assam Secretariat Complex by a convoy of vehicles. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi will receive the Baton. After a brief function at the secretariat complex, which will be attended by Sports Minister Bharat Chandra Narah along with some other ministers, the Chief Minister will hand over it to a prominent sportsperson for the final leg of relay to the Shankardev Kalakhetra. A 45-minute cultural function has been organised at the Kalakhetra after which Narah will hand it over to the official team.
Hussain further revealed that over 50 eminent sportspersons have been invited to take part in the relay out of which 21 including Arjuna awardee Bhogeswar Baruah, Monalisa Baruah, internationals Susan Das Choudhury, Toshen Bora, Gilbertson Sangma, Jowel Bey, Mallika Baruah, Belsy Narzary, Tayabun Nesa, Nandini Baruah, Pramila Bharali, Mithu Baruah, Arunjyoti Baruah, Abhijit Bhattacharyya, Babul Phukan along with veteran sportspersons like Pulin Das, Suren Ram Phookun have confirmed their participation.
Along with Hussain, Sports Director Sanjib Gohain Baruah, DIPR Dinesh Deka, organising committee members Rajib Prakash Baruah, Tridiv Duvarah, Pradip Hazarika were also present in the press conference.
