CWG official wants OC members to be honoured!

Commonwealth Games Media Committee chairman Tarlochan Singh has demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to honour Organising Committee members in recognition of hosting the CWG last October.

In a letter to the PM, Tarlochan, a former Member of Parliament, said special national awards should be instituted for the organisers of the Games in the line of similar honour conferred after the 1982 Asiad in New Delhi.

"It is a request that you may consider to institute Commonwealth Award following the lead given by Smt Indira Gandhi. Government should highlight the glorious part of the Games," he wrote in the letter.

"I may further add that some members of the Organising Committee and the President of the Indian Olympic Association were given Padma Bhushan/Padma Shree awards," he said.

Tarlochan, former chairman of National Commission for Minorities, said that the Delhi Commonwealth Games had earned praise from all participating nations and the organizers deserved to be conferred awards.

"The Commonwealth Games 2010 were not only the first ever in our country but these were conducted in such a manner that all the participating nations had praised India for such magnificent arrangements. India won the largest number of medals since the inception of these Games and even beaten England in medal tally.

"Smt Gandhi instituted a special National Award soon after the 9th Asian Games in New Delhi in November 1982. This award was of two categories on the line of Padma Awards was named as Asiad Vashisht Jyoti Award and Asiad Jyoti Award. The Awards were given to selected persons who were part of the Organising Committee at a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan by the President of India," he said in the letter.