Second Shera ‘appointed’ to meet demand

On Thursday the Organising Committee closed the promotional activities with a visit to President Pratibha Patil. It was Makhotia who got to go there,instead of Bidla. Over the last fortnight,Bidla and Makhotia attended promotional events at 50 to 60 schools and other places. Explaining the reason behind appointing Makhotia as the second Shera,a Games official said,“The event was closing in,and there was huge public demand for Shera.”

“It is something I had never done before,so I am quite excited about the new job,” beams Makhotia. “I love wearing the Shera costume and meeting children.” Recounting the first instance when he got to wear the Shera costume two weeks ago,he said,“I went to an MCD school in Dwarka. I enjoyed the attention I got.”

A resident of Uttam Nagar in West Delhi,Makhotia has studied till Class X. When asked about his plans for the future after his stint as Shera is done,he says hesitatingly: “I will see…”

OC hires more catering firms
After a series of complaints about the quality and quantity of food being served,the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games has now hired more catering firms to handle the load.

The committee now has on board the Bikanerwalas,who had earlier bid for the same contract,as well as Nirulas. “The basic problem was with Agarwal Food Products not being able to deliver food as per the quantity required by the Organising Committee,” a senior official said.