New Delhi: With key American and Indian officials keeping away from the Indo-US space conference beginning Monday (Jun 21, 2004) in Bangalore, questions are being raised about the importance of the five-day meeting that was originally billed as a major event.

The conference, with expected participation of top US officials from the State Department and agencies like NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and several aerospace companies, aimed to develop "a blueprint for expanded collaboration in space science, applications, and commerce."

But it appears the original enthusiasm has been replaced by some uncertainty and confusion with key officials dropping out and the organisers throwing a blanket of secrecy over the whole affair. It is not known if any US aerospace company is coming other than the three firms, which will host lunches and receptions.

In fact, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) that is organising the conference has barred the media from covering the conference except for the inaugural and closing ceremonies. No reasons were given for the sudden change of mind.

ISRO officials admitted that the top bosses of NASA and NOAA, who were scheduled to be present, were not coming. Many more have dropped out but details were not available either from ISRO or the US Embassy in New Delhi.

The conference is almost entirely funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST) through the Indo-US Forum under it. But both DST Secretary V S Ramamurthi and the Forum administrator A Mitra will not be attending the space meet.

Ramamurthi said he would be away in Vienna during that week and Mitra too would be abroad.

The Indo-US space meet was initiated - and most of the programme was finalised by the Vajpayee Government. It is not clear if the change of Government contributed to the conference being put on a low key because it was expected to discuss some changes in India's space policy that the Congress Government needed time to study.

"I am hearing that the importance of the conference has been diluted," Ramamurthi told.