Bhubaneswar, July 4: Yaswashree Devi, a student of BJB (Autonomous) College here, is leading a team of 200 for the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships. To her, it is indeed a big deal. The young lady is the leader of the NCC cadets volunteering for the international event that begins tomorrow.

The group has been selected from various colleges of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to assist various departments of the event. They will be involved in crowd management, taking care of the VVIP enclosure, assisting the medical team and helping the workforce.

Yaswashree, who has been with the NCC for the past three years, will head the team under flying officer Mihir Ranjan Saran. "The event is really important so it is a big responsibility for us. We will do our best and make it a success," she said.

The NCC cadets have been divided into groups and deployed at various locations of the stadium. Their duties began today and will continue till July 9. The volunteers were given a 12-day training before the event at a camp hosted on Adivasi Ground here.

"They were taught how to handle crises such as stampede and how to undertake rescue operations. They were trained in personality development and how to deal with guests," said Saran.

First-aid training and a safety course were also given to the volunteers. "Medical emergencies related to ill health or an accident can happen anywhere at anytime and we should be ready to handle them," said Madhusmita Pattanayak, a volunteer from RD Women's University.

They have also acted as volunteers at other large events such as rath yatra, bali yatra and Hockey India League matches among others.

"This is probably one of the biggest events we have ever handled. It is a great feeling but I am also a little nervous because there cannot be any mistake," said Sambit Kumar Dash, a student of Basic Sciences College and an NCC cadet.

Besides the cadet volunteers, a group of 82 young civilian volunteers is also a part of the management team of the event. They are all from the Maharshi College Daredevil Team.

The Daredevil Team performs stunts during the Republic Day and the Independence Day parades in Bhubaneswar. All the young student volunteers have been provided with a special uniform. "A dress code has been fixed for all the volunteers them so that they are recognisable instantly," said Saran. They will be given certificates after the event ends.

Railway project

Ministry of railways has allocated Rs 748 crore to convert the railway line between Jeypore and Nabarangpur into a broad gauge railway line. The work on 38-km railway line is scheduled to be completed in five years once the land acquisition process is completed.