State Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said on Saturday while addressing a media conference in Dehradun that a large number of people, including students and the people’s representatives, would participate in the ‘Run for Unity’ slated on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, known as the builder of the modern Indian State. The commemorative run would be held at around 180 places at tehsil, block, district and the state levels, he said, adding that the race would begin at 8 am and would end at 8.30 am.
The CM said, “We have drafted an elaborate plan spread across the state to mark the 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. The commemorative run for unity would be followed by an oath taking ceremony with the participants and others taking a pledge for preserving the unity of the land at any cost. In addition, blood donation camps would be held in all the districts of state to mark the special day.”
Rawat hoped that the turnout would be huge. “However, we have made it a point that the students appearing in examinations would not be allowed to participate in any of the events," he said, adding that the students of Class IX and above are allowed to run in the event.
"The district magistrate of each district has been made the nodal officer and they will be responsible for the event in their jurisdictional areas," he said. Besides, the ministers in-charge of each district have been asked to remain in the district of which they are holding charge, he said.
The onus of ensuring maximum participation at all the levels is resting with the DMs, CM said.
Four major starting points in Dehradun are the Assembly building, Pavilion Ground, Kisan Bhawan and Nagar Nigam, CM informed, adding that from all the starting points, the participants would run to the Police lines where they would take pledge on unity. “I would join the race from the Assembly building," said CM.
He added the district police have been directed to make elaborate security arrangements for the state-wide event. “Adequate security would be deployed on all the routes the race would cover. It must be seen at the same time that the run does not land the commuters in any kind of trouble on the roads. As for parking, police have been directed to take measures to ensure that the people attending this event do not face any problem,” he added.