Soon, large-scale public events in the city will be held at Sarangpur.Since several large concerts and public events shifted to neighbouring cities of Panchkula and Mohali recently, the UT Tourism Department decided to organise gatherings of over 5,000 people at Sarangpur. It is a temporary arrangement until the proposed concert-cum-exhibition centre comes up on 25 acres in the area.UT Tourism Secretary Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah on Saturday visited the Sarangpur site to review preparations for developing the ground as a venue for major events. Officials from the Tourism Department, Engineering Department and the Chief Architect’s Office accompanied him.Shah directed officials of the Engineering Department to expedite the work of cleaning and levelling the land, which has trees, bushes and uneven surfaces.Shah said the Administration intended to develop the Sarangpur site on the lines of the Sector 34 exhibition ground, which traditionally hosted exhibitions and large events in the city. Once developed, the Sarangpur site will be the venue for exhibitions, concerts and other major public events that require large open spaces.On the choice of location, the Tourism Secretary said Sarangpur offered a large open area and suited for big events, which otherwise led to traffic congestion in central part of the city. “Big gatherings often lead to traffic and parking issues in central locations. Organising such events in Sarangpur will help prevent such traffic disruptions,” he said.At present, large events in the city are usually organised at the Sector 34 exhibition ground. However, due to frequent traffic congestion during major programmes, the Administration has been restricting permissions for very large gatherings there. While such programmes can also be held at the rally ground in Sector 25, event management companies have generally been reluctant to the venue.As a result, several large concerts and public events recently were shifted to neighbouring cities, prompting the Administration to explore a new venue within the UT.Meanwhile, Shah also visited the Sector 17 Plaza to review pending work under the rejuvenation plan. During the inspection, he took stock of several ongoing and unfinished projects, including the 11-storey building and other infrastructure works in the Plaza area.