Queen’s baton in Himachal
By IANSSunday, July 4, 2010
SHIMLA - The Queen’s Baton Relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games Sunday reached Himachal Pradesh amid jubilant scenes. But a motorcyclist who was part of the convoy accompanying it was injured in an accident, police said.
The baton was received by chief parliamentary secretary Satpal Singh Satti at Mehatpur in Una district. It arrived from Chandigarh.
“It’s a joyous moment for all of us who became part of this historical moment,” said Deepak Thakur, a member of the Indian hockey team, on receiving the baton. He belongs to Una town.
The state’s renowned national and international players - Charanjeet Singh (hockey), Mohinder Lal (shooting), Harsh Tripathi (handball) and Surjeet Singh (volleyball) were among those who received the baton.
The accident took place when the baton was on its way to Dharamsala town.
“The motorcyclist met with an accident with a car coming from the opposite side near Dehra town in Kangra district,” Superintendent of Police Atul Fulzele told IANS over phone.
“The motorcyclist with multiple injuries has been admitted to a hospital in Dehra. But the baton’s journey resumed after sometime,” he added.
The organisers said the baton will pass through Kangra, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts. It is scheduled to reach Shimla Monday evening.
It will cover a distance of 560 km in the state before entering Uttarakhand Tuesday.
The baton travelled nearly 170,000 km through nearly 70 Commonwealth countries before arriving in host India for the Games scheduled Oct 3-14 in New Delhi.
Pakistan’s Olympic Association chief Syed Arif Hassan handed over the baton to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi, who is also the chairman of the organising committee of Commonwealth Games 2010, at Attari border in Punjab June 25.
By the end of its journey, the baton would have travelled over 190,000 km, through different modes of transport across land, air and sea, in 340 days. This will make the baton relay 2010 one of the longest in the history of the Commonwealth Games.
The 2010 Commonwealth Games is the biggest sporting extravaganza being hosted by India since the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi.
