The East Singhbhum district administration, with guidance from the Union ministry of panchayati raj, is pulling out all stops to ensure that perfect arrangements are made for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jamshedpur for a National Panchayati Raj Day function on April 24.
"We are following the norms laid out by SPG and going by the advice of the panchayati raj ministry to construct AC pavilions and hangars for the April 24 programme at JRD Tata Sports Complex and at Mohan Ahuja Indoor Stadium and archery ground. Several cells have been constituted to look into various activities and review meetings are being held daily," said East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amitabh Kaushal, who is at the venues every evening.
Additional secretary in the panchayati raj ministry Rashmi Shukla Sharma, who visited the steel city earlier this month, held discussions on the progress of work with Kaushal on Wednesday over video-conferencing.
According to sources in the administration, a huge 300ftx80ft pavilion is being constructed and 10 LED screens will be installed near the galleries for better viewing at the sports complex that can hold more than 35,000 people.
The 60ftx42ft dais would have two portable washrooms, one for the exclusive use of the Prime Minister and the other for VVIPs delegates. Among those expected to be in attendance for the April 24 function are Union minister of rural development and panchayati raj Choudhary Birender Singh, chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states and senior government officials.
Apart from VVIPs, the district administration is aware that accommodating all the delegates, expected to number around 3,000, would be a huge challenge. Hence, as many as 800 rooms in over 50 hotels of the steel city and neighbouring Sereikela-Kharsawan district (on NH-33), in addition to 30 guest houses, have already been booked.
"We will be taking charge of all booked rooms from the morning of April 23. Two teachers will be deputed at each hotel and guest house to help visiting officials and panchayat leaders from various states," said district social welfare officer Ranjana Mishra.
The district health department has already written to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi and Tata Main Hospital (TMH) in Jamshedpur for arranging two state-of-the-art cardiac ambulances to be deputed at the venue.
"These would be deputed at the venue for the Prime Minister and other VVIPs. We will also be setting up a 10-bed temporary hospital at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on April 24. We have also asked MGM Medical College and Hospital, Sadar Hospital, TMH and other private hospitals to keep beds ready in case of emergencies in view of the ongoing heatwave-like conditions and the large number of invitees," said East Singhbhum civil surgeon S. K Jha.
To ensure better traffic management, all private and state-owned buses would be off the road from the morning of April 23 till April 24.
"We require more than 300 buses to ferry delegates. We have written to private bus owners and also Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee so that we can use their fleet from April 23. We might need some long-distance buses too," said district transport officer Sanjay Kujur.
According to a tentative schedule, the Prime Minister is expected to fly in to Ranchi from where he will use a chopper to reach Jamshedpur around 4pm April 24. He is expected to be in the steel city for over an hour after which he would return to Delhi via Ranchi.
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