Siliguri gears up for race and walkathon

TT, Siliguri: Hundreds of runners will move through the streets of Siliguri on Monday morning, a few hours before Trinamul youths and students start swarming the same streets.

The Siliguri Metropolitan Police, for the first time, is organising a 10km long road race and a 4km walkathon on Monday in which more than 1,000 people will participate.

Since Monday morning, Siliguri will be buzzing with activities as there will be the road race and walkathon, followed by a meeting of Trinamul's student and youth wings.

Over 40,000 youths and students from all eight districts of north Bengal are likely to attend the event which would be held at the Kanchenjungha Stadium here.

"So far, around 1,000 participants have registered their names for the events. We are expecting a good turnout of residents and sports enthusiasts in the morning, when the events are held. As the race route includes stretches of NH31 and some major points of Hill Cart Road, we will restrict the traffic for some time between 8am and 9am," said Sudip Sarkar, the deputy commissioner of police (headquarters).

According to Sarkar, the road race and walkathon will start from the City Centre at Uttarayon.

Participants in the race will have to move through NH31, Darjeeling More, Siliguri Junction, Airview More, Sevoke More and Hashmi Chowk and will return to the starting point at Matigara along the same route.

The 4km walkathon will be held within the Uttarayan Township.

Sources in the Siliguri Metropolitan Police said top three winners of the race would be awarded cash prizes, along with trophies and certificates. Also, the first 100 participants finishing the race will get medal and certificates.

Also, prizes will be awarded to the first five participants of the walkathon, they said.

"State ministers Aroop Biswas and Gautam Deb, along with other dignitaries, will be present to distribute the prizes," said an official.

Police sources said they had made elaborate arrangements so that the back-to-back events did not disrupt normal traffic in and around the city.

"There might be some restrictions in certain places but traffic will be diverted through alternate routes," the official said.