The Chandigarh Administration officials said the issue of closure of the Chandigarh International Airport led to the cancellation of the event. (Express photo by Kshitij Mohan/file)
CHANDIGARH LOST the chance to host the prestigious conference of Governors. The much-awaited conference, scheduled to be held next month, shall now be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan as it was being held previously.
The Chandigarh Administration had begun making preparations to host the conference that was going to be held at a venue other than Rashtrapati Bhavan for the first time. Several rounds of meetings were held at the Punjab Raj Bhawan to make adequate arrangements to host the dignitaries.
A communication from Rashtrapati Bhavan was received by the UT Secretariat on Wednesday saying “the conference which had to take place from May 19 to 20 has now been rescheduled and would be held on June 4 and 5 at Rasthrapati Bhavan, Delhi, itself”.
The Chandigarh Administration officials said the issue of closure of the Chandigarh International Airport led to the cancellation of the event. Even as it was decided that there shall be temporary opening of the airport from May 18 to 20 for the conference, the officers were conveyed that “it was of no help”.
“Temporary opening of the airport for three days would not help as there will be no commercial flight and not all Governors/Lt Governors or Administrators, who were to attend the conference, will have their own planes or helicopters. They were to come by commercial airlines,” a senior officer of the Chandigarh Administration told Chandigarh Newsline.
“Please refer to my letter dated March 22, 2018, indicating to hold the next Conference of Governors on May 19-20, 2018, in Chandigarh. Further it was requested to arrange the logistics and infrastructure at Chandigarh for the above conference. However, it is informed that the Conference of Governors would now be held on June 4-5, 2018, at Rasthrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, instead of Chandigarh,” read a communication sent to UT Adviser Parimal Rai by Bharat Lal, Joint Secretary to the President, from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Governors’ conference is usually held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. However, this time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed his desire to hold it in Chandigarh. As many as 27 Governors and three Lt Governors of states and Union Territories, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other ministers were to attend the conference.
For the last three weeks, the Chandigarh Administration had gone into an overdrive and started making arrangements for the conference. The UT engineering wing had also changed the flooring of the committee room and other rooms at the Punjab Raj Bhawan. Rooms at the UT guest house, where the dignitaries were to be accommodated, were also being decked up. However, the tenders, floated by the engineering wing for renovation of rooms at the guest house, had sparked a controversy because of certain alleged irregularities. The tenders were later withdrawn.