Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s scheduled visit to Joka on Saturday to inaugurate Bharat Sevashram Sangha’s hospital has been cancelled, a home department official said at Writers’ Buildings on Wednesday.

“The Joka programme was initially in the Prime Minister’s itinerary but was later removed,” said the official.

Police said security concerns prompted the cancellation.

Singh will arrive at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 11am on Saturday and head for Santiniketan to attend the convocation of Visva-Bharati, of which he is the chancellor. Singh will fly back to Calcutta in the afternoon and spend the night at Raj Bhavan, said the official.

On Sunday morning, the Prime Minister will fly to Purnea, from where he would travel in a helicopter to the late Union minister and Congress MP ABA Barkat Ghani Khan Chowdhury’s residence. Singh will leave for Delhi from there, added the official.

The inspector-general of police (law and order), Raj Kanojia, said security is being beefed up in and around the city and the state and city police are continuously interacting with central security teams that have come to Calcutta to oversee preparations.

“Central detective agencies have directed us to tighten security and we are keeping them posted on steps taken in this regard. Security teams from the Centre have reached Calcutta and another team will come tomorrow. Entry and exit points of the city are being monitored. Vigil in North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas and Howrah has been stepped up as they share borders with Calcutta,” added Kanojia.