In a major boost for western Odisha, President Droupadi Murmu will arrive in Rourkela on April 21 for a packed day of public engagement and project inaugurations.
A high-powered state-level preparatory meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg was held today at Lok Seva Bhawan to ensure every detail of the visit is executed with zero error.
The Chief Secretary directed all departments to treat the President’s visit as a top priority and leave no room for lapses. “Preparations must be flawless,” she emphasised while issuing clear instructions to senior officials.
According to the itinerary finalised in the meeting, the President will depart New Delhi by Indian Air Force aircraft and land at Jharsuguda Airport at 10:25 AM. She will then proceed by helicopter and touch down at Rourkela Airport at 11:10 AM. From there, she will head straight to Sector-13 for a grand public meeting, where she will inaugurate three major public-welfare projects: the Integrated Command and Control Centre building, the Science Park and Planetarium, and Pramod Udyan in Koel Nagar. Post-meeting, she will visit the Tribal Museum and the Command Control Centre in Rourkela before returning to Jharsuguda and flying back to New Delhi at 4:50 PM.
Senior officers, including Development Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretaries Hemant Sharma and Chitra Arumugam, and Home Secretary R.K. Sharma, attended the meeting. Sundargarh District Collector Dr Shubhankar Mohapatra briefed the gathering on ground-level arrangements. Both Rourkela and Jharsuguda Circuit Houses have been directed to be fully prepared.
Stringent security has been made the topmost priority. A comprehensive security blueprint covering the airport, helipad, public meeting venue, and all routes has already been finalised. Police DGP Y.B. Khurania and senior officers joined the meeting virtually to review the plan. Additional Chief Secretary Arindam Dakua has been appointed as the nodal officer for overall coordination.
To ensure the comfort of thousands of citizens expected at the public meeting, authorities have been told to arrange ample drinking water, ORS packets, first-aid facilities, uninterrupted power supply, and proper ventilation. Fire safety, road maintenance, sanitation, barricading, and media arrangements were also discussed in detail.
The President’s visit holds special significance as she will inaugurate key people-centric projects and connect directly with the people of Rourkela, reinforcing the state government’s focus on seamless and dignified high-level visits.
