Bhubaneswar, April 17: Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg chaired a crucial preparatory meeting ahead of President Droupadi Murmu’s scheduled visit to Rourkela on April 21st. The meeting, held at Lokseva Bhavan, focused on ensuring flawless arrangements for the President’s visit and discussed coordination between various state departments.
To streamline preparations, the Chief Secretary issued detailed directives and guidelines for all concerned officials. Senior government figures, including Additional Chief Secretaries, Directors, and key department heads, participated in the session.
R.K. Sharma, Principal Secretary of the Home Department, shared key updates regarding the visit. According to the plan, the President will depart from New Delhi aboard an Air Force aircraft and arrive at Jharsuguda Airport at 10:25 AM. From there, a helicopter will transport her to Rourkela, where she will address a public gathering at Sector 13 at 11:10 AM. During her visit, President Murmu is expected to inaugurate multiple public welfare initiatives.
After the gathering, she will tour several significant public welfare projects in Rourkela, including the Command Control Center, Science Park, Planetarium, and Promod Udyan in Koel Nagar, among others.
Following the public events, the President will return to New Delhi in the afternoon at 4:50 PM via Jharsuguda.
Dr. Shubhankar Mahapatra, District Collector of Sundargarh, provided updates on the local arrangements in Sundargarh and Jharsuguda, confirming that district offices and circuit houses are fully prepared for the visit.
The meeting emphasized the importance of robust security measures. Officials from the State Police, including Y.B. Khurania, Director General of Police, and the SPs of Sundargarh and Jharsuguda, discussed the security framework for the visit.
The Home and Urban Development Department, alongside Municipal Commissioners and additional administrative officers, will coordinate the logistics of the visit.
Further discussions addressed essential provisions, such as drinking water, O.R.S., primary health services, electricity, and air travel for the public event. The meeting also reviewed other necessary measures, including firefighting equipment, traffic control, medical services, public address systems, and media coverage.
In a bid to streamline operations, a control room will be set up to monitor and coordinate all aspects of the visit.
Among the attendees were Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary for the Development Commission; Hemanta Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary for Home, Industry, and Information & Public Relations; and. Chitra Arumugam, Additional Chief Secretary for Labour & Employment and Science & Technology. Several other senior officials also joined the meeting.
