Amethi among 6 places in UP for Games relay rally

The other five places that the rally will cross are cities of Bareilly,Lucknow,Rae Bareli,Varanasi and Agra.

The relay rally,comprising eminent sportspersons from across the country,will enter UP on July 8 and a night stay for the participants will be organised in Bareilly,the first stopover.

The next day,the relay will leave early morning for Lucknow,where the state government will hold a road show and a cultural programme. Here too,a night stay is proposed.

On July 10,the relay would leave Lucknow for Rae Bareli,where it will arrive in the afternoon and halt for a night. The next day,the relay would go to Amethi,where it is expected to either have a night halt in the town area or in a village.  

On July 12,the relay will move to Varanasi and on July 13,it will cross the UP border to head for Gaya in Bihar. On its way back to New Delhi,the relay will pass through Agra on September 21,and the same night it will leave for Jaipur.

While the Central Committee for Commonwealth Games 2010 has asked the state government to make arrangements for a night halt at the VVIP constituency of Amethi represented by Rahul Gandhi,the state government has proposed that the relay team stay in the town for three to four hours only,citing security and unavailability of accommodation.

Secretary (sports and youth welfare) Lalit Verma said,“These places,including Amethi,have been chosen by the Central Committee. We have been asked to make all arrangements like security,accommodation and awareness about the relay as it is a major event and will certainly bring these cities high on sports and tourism maps.”

“The state government will bear all costs and we will ensure these cities show a better side of UP to the world,” Verma added.

Meanwhile,locals in Amethi were an excited lot. Khursheed Aziz,a young social activist and a sports enthusiast,said,“Even though Amethi is a small town,there is lot of young talent here. The arrival of the relay in this town will not only help them interact with national and international level sportspersons,but a few lucky ones may also get a chance to be a part of the relay. This may open doors for state or national level games for them.”