As Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi and Chairman of the Reception Committee I deem it a great privilege to extend cordial greetings and a great welcome to  you all on behalf of the University and my colleagues on the Reception Committee who represent all sections of the public life of the city of Delhi.
This great metropolis of ours, as well as this its University, are growing so fast that amenities for guests and visitors chronically lag behind the needs. However long the notice and this time there was some element of uncertainty about the dates to be fixed for the Congress it which would be entirely satisfactory to the guest-delegates. For the deficiencies that they are bound to notice I offer sincere apologies. I can only assure our guests that we have spared no effort to make them comfortable and to ensure that their stay amongst us will prove enjoyable.
There will be many amongst you who are no strangers to Delhi, but there are bound to be many to whom this is their first visit to this historic capital of India. And historic in truth it is, if the Archaeologists are to be believed. Of the so called seven Cities of Delhi the earliest has been dated to the closing years of the 1pth Century A.D. The City abounds in historical relics, ancient as well as relatively recent, which are briefly reviewed in the souvenir published to commemorate this Golden Jubilee Session year of the Indian Science Congress.
But more challenging, even if less interesting on the surface, is the evidence you will find of a great metropolis, bursting with the new life of this age of modernization and industrialization. A look at the Master Plan for development of the City will reveal how within a decade the City will be enabled in accordance with accepted principles of town.
