Indian Express 08.09.2010
Marathon 2011: Vadodara will run to keep city clean
Express News Service Tags : marathon 2011 Posted: Wed Sep 08 2010, 05:33 hrs
Vadodara: The municipal corporation and organisers of the Vadodara Marathon have taken up the issue of cleanliness for the 2011 edition of the competition.Interestingly, right from the concept of ‘Clean Vadodara’ to its execution, most aspects are similar to the initiatives ‘planned’ by the civic body in the current year, which hit many hurdles before it could be executed. According to sources, top VMC officials have already warned the marathon organisers not to promise anything which cannot be implemented.
Marathon mascot ‘Bako’ (a colloquial term used in Gujarati to address someone in friendly manner) will lead the cleanliness awareness drive.
Amit Bhatnagar, one of the directors of Vadodara Marathon, said they will take up several initiatives under the “Clean Vadodara, Green Vadodara” slogan.
“Our job is to sensitize the residents. At the same time, we will take up tasks, which are possible to execute, like providing garbage bins at subsidised rates and convincing the contractors to remove debris from roads. We are making a beginning for the people to keep the city clean. We will plant saplings in vacant plots with due permission.”
The organisers have not involved any government agencies like last year when they had roped in the police to raise funds for the Vadodara Traffic Education Trust.
“Organising such an event is not easy. We had made some mistakes last time. That is why we have made several changes in our approach,” he said.
This time, there will be only two categories — 21 km and 15 km — and every competitor will be provided with RFID tags, which will be tracked through satellite. The move aims to maintain transparency during the race.
“Last year, we had to return 4,000 dollars, which had come from NRIs as we could not get the RBI permission in time. But this time, it will be done well in advance. Even the registration would be stopped a month prior to the event to avoid inconvenience to the participants,” Bhatnagar said.
Top marathon official resigns
Following differences in the way last year’s marathon was organised, one of the directors, Nilesh Shukla, has resigned from the post.
“I resigned because the difference of opinion was becoming personal. It was not possible to be part of the next marathon in such an environment,” Shukla said.
This comes after the marathon organisers handed over the remaining amount of Rs 1 crore to Vadodara police last week. A rift between the two had surfaced over non-payment of the amount.
