By Our Correspondent
Agartala, 30/07/2010
The state Olympic association under the stewardship of Gopal Roy, MLA today received the queens baton this evening after it reached Agartala airport. Mr Roy was accompanied by other representatives of the state Olympic association including Mr Ashish Saha, MLA, Mr Rupak Debroy and Mr Sanit Debroy. There was high tension in Agartala airport as to what would happen after the queen’s baton arrives in the state capital. Mr Gopal Roy was determined to receive the baton and had thrown an open challenge in this regard. He was visibly happy winning the challenge posed from concerned circles and finally getting hold of the baton soon after its arrival. The controversy seems to have ended for the time being with Mr Roy getting hold of the baton. The IOC president Mr Suresh Kalmadi had previously written to chief minister Mr Manik Sarkar to make sure that Mr Roy gets the right to recive the baton at the airport.
Tomorrow there would be a huge rally in Agartala in which thousands of students and sports lovers will participate. Later, in the evening, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar will officially receive the baton at the Nazrul Kalakshetra followed by a cultural programme. The baton would leave Tripura on August 1 and fly to Kolkata. The baton left Buckingham Palace on October 29, 2009 for its India leg journey. It would finally reach New Delhi in before the commencement of the Commonwealth Games on October 3.