Take a guesstimate: 400 swarm in for Nawal swearing-in

Staff drawn from the government’s protocol and revenue departments has been its toes since Thursday when the Raj Bhavan started dispatching guest lists and asking it to make adequate arrangements for their accommodation and transportation. The Governor’s guests started arriving from Rajasthan (mainly Jaipur) and Delhi on Thursday evening.

About half a dozen government buildings in Gandhinagar — the Circuit House, Pathik Ashram, Vishram Gruh, Staff Training College, Pandit Dindayal Institute and Van Chetna Kendra — were booked for the guests, while others were lodged in the government guest house near Delhi Darwaza and also in the Circuit Houses in Shahibaug in Ahmedabad.

For Sharma’s close relatives and friends, a guest house in the Raj Bhavan as well as the old Raj Bhavan in Ahmedabad were reserved. Arrangements for meals and snacks were also made.

When contacted, Principal Secretary (GAD) K George Joseph told The Indian Express that since the Raj Bhavan had asked his department to make all necessary arrangements for the Governor’s guests, the government would naturally foot the bill for the same.

For those invited as State guests, Raj Bhavan will foot the bill. Besides, lunch was also thrown for the Governor’s guests after the swearing-in ceremony of Sharma held at the well-decorated Town Hall in Gandhinagar on Saturday morning. A special shamiana was erected on Raj Bhavan lawns, accommodating over 300 special guests.

Separate teams of over 40 government officers of the rank of mamlatdar and deputy mamlatdar drawn from the GAD and the Revenue Department were put on protocol duty at places where Sharma’s guests were lodged. Eight medical teams were also posted in case of emergency.

Though most of the Governor’s guests are expected to return to Rajasthan by this evening, the Raj Bhavan has asked the government’s protocol department to continue all these arrangements as long as they are in Gandhinagar or Ahmedabad.