Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the first international run of the region, ‘Star Cement Bhaag North East Bhaag’ on Sunday.
Thousands of people from various walks of life participated in the run, in support of Clean India.
Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu, Industry and Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, veteran actor Pranjal Saikia, actor Gunjan Bharadwaj, popular singers Manas Robin and Simanta Shekhar, swimmer Elvis Ali Hazarika, Fitness Guru Mahadev Deka, mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa, eminent writer Maini Mahanta, actor Sunita Kaushik, actor Aimee Baruah, and actor/director Tridib Lahon were present at the occasion.
Several runners from different countries and from across India participated in this run which had races in three categories – a Half Marathon, a 10km run, and a 4km run.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that a clean, hygienic and Northeast is not only important for development of this region but also for the whole country. “I believe this run Star Cement Bhaag North East Bhaag in support of a clean India will help in inculcating Swachhta as a habit among the people of the Northeast”.
Earlier, welcoming all the participants and guests, Chairman of Star Cement, Sajjan Bhajanka said “Star Cement has always been an integral part of this land and its people and when it comes to making changes for the good of society, we at Star Cement lead by example. We believe that ‘Bhaag Northeast Bhaag’ which is North East’s first international Marathon puts Guwahati on the Indian and Global Map of Marathon Running events. The people of the North East have always loved sport and there are many who have won recognition at the National and International levels. We expect this event to add another feather in the cap for Guwahati, Assam and the North East at large.”
Expressing joy over her participation, Bipasha Basu said that she loves the natural beauty of Northeast and said that people of this region are comparatively more conscious about fitness and cleanliness than most parts of our country. She also said this International Run “Star Cement Bhaag North East Bhaag” is a true gift to this spirit of people of North-East India.
Star Cement Ltd (SCL) is one of the leading cement players in the east India cement market.
