The 83rd plenary session of the Congress, apart from being a forum to discuss some serious issues, was also an opportunity for the delegates to get to do some travelling.
The venue of the plenary, Burari, which is 12-15 km on the outskirts of New Delhi, takes nearly an hour to reach. The organisers had made elaborate arrangements for the delegates who were categorised into VVIPs, VIPs, special invitees and AICC delegates.
The media too was listed as a separate category. Special buses were arranged for ferrying the mediapersons to the venue from the AICC headquarters.
A security cordon was thrown around the entire area to prevent any untoward incident. Securitymen with sophisticated weapons were found guarding the venue. Fire-tenders were also present as a precautionary measure.
Cars of the powers that be, which had special stickers, had a distinct parking lot and the VVIPs, were taken into the hall through a special entrance. Likewise, members of the other categories too had separate places to park their vehicles before they were ushered into the hall where the deliberations took place.
The entire hall had the feel of a conference hall even though it was a shamiana-covered hall. It was a big room that could accommodate nearly 15,000 people. The room was divided into segments to seat different groups of people.
The first part of the room was reserved for Cabinet ministers and former chief ministers. The second was meant for the media. The third enclosure seated state Cabinet ministers, former MPs, and former MLAs. The rear was meant for delegates and public.
The only drawback of the event was that there were some murmurs with regard to the food that was served apart from the sound system that was not up to the mark.