Big splurge planned for ‘thrifty’ Maharaja’s coronation today

In what perhaps is a costlier affair than a wedding at home,Mohali MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu has posted 20 halwais (cooks) at the house of the Baryali village sarpanch to make four tonnes of desi ghee laddus for the ceremony. “We are expecting over a lakh people and have made arrangements for tea,water and sweets for them. Besides four tankers of water,there will be 40 qunitals of desi ghee laddus and tea for all,” Sidhu said.

Although massive public gatherings are the norm every time a new Congress state chief is appointed — former PPCC chief SS Dullo too received a grand welcome — that of Amarinder this time will be like never before,says former Finance Minister and Dakala MLA Lal Singh,who is overseeing arrangements for the event.

“Our estimate is of 25,000 to 40,000 people but it can go higher still. The party is not spending but the workers and leaders are making arrangements on their own. About 30,000 packets of food are being prepared by Patiala and Ludhiana units and langar of laddus and tea has also been arranged by some,” he said.

In what is another first,the party will be installing four or five large screens in and outside the venue as the capacity of Congress Bhawan is limited to 7,000 people,said Lal Singh. “Two screens will be put up inside the Bhawan and two or three outside the venue so that everyone in the crowd can see the coronation,” he said.

With both VIPs and a large crowd to manage,the security arrangements are equally unprecedented. While Punjab Police have deployed nearly 200 men inside the Bhawan for security,the Chandigarh Police is pitching in for security outside the venue. The party has taken permission of the Chandigarh Administration to close the road outside the Bhawan to traffic.

Chandigarh SSP Naunihal Singh,who was inspecting the arrangements outside the venue on Thursday,said,“I am told it’s a mammoth gathering. In the past,too,there has been a gathering of nearly 10,000 people. We are this time making arrangements for double the number. Friday being a work day,we are also trying to ensure that those coming to public institutions on this road are not inconvenienced. The security plan for tomorrow is fluid and will be changed in view of the crowd. Smaller cars will be allowed to park outside the Bhawan while bigger vehicles will have to be parked at open spaces in Sectors 15 and 25,” he added.