With the Vice President of India scheduled to arrive on November 16 and the President due for a two-day visit later this month, Odisha’s top administration today held a high-level review meeting to ensure seamless, secure, and well-coordinated arrangements.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg chaired the state-level preparation meeting at the conference hall of Lok Seva Bhawan. She stressed the need for disciplined execution, inter-departmental coordination, and zero-error readiness so that both dignitaries’ itineraries proceed smoothly. Additional Chief Secretary of Home (Internal) and Information & Public Relations, Hemant Sharma, presented the detailed programmes for discussion.
Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan will fly in from New Delhi by special Indian Air Force aircraft on the morning of November 16 and land at Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar. He will inaugurate a training programme for members of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly at the Mayfair Sanctuary Convention Hall, expected to last about an hour. He will then proceed to Kataka to inaugurate the Iconic Tower (Academic Building) of Sri Sri University before returning to New Delhi in the evening.
President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to arrive in Bhubaneswar by special IAF flight in the afternoon of November 24. After proceeding to Lok Bhawan, she will be the chief guest at the “Baliyatra Utsav-2026” in Kataka the same evening. She will return to Bhubaneswar for an overnight stay. On the morning of November 25, she will attend the National Homoeopathic Scientific Conference at Dr Abhin Chandra Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital in Bhubaneswar as chief guest, before flying back to New Delhi in the afternoon.
The meeting reviewed comprehensive arrangements covering ceremonial welcomes and farewells, security, accommodation, transport and carcade management, medical and emergency services, fire safety, road repairs, cleanliness, uninterrupted power and water supply, and barricading. Collectors of Khordha and Kataka have been given overall monitoring responsibility for their districts. Security oversight will rest with the Police Commissioner, Bhubaneswar-Kataka, and the DCP, Kataka, while DGP Vinaytosh Mishra will supervise the statewide security grid. A control room will also operate under the Home Department.
Senior officials, including the DGP, departmental secretaries, and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Commissioner, attended the meeting, with several others joining virtually. CS Garg directed all concerned departments and agencies to maintain tight coordination, conduct field inspections, and complete every task within the fixed timelines so that the visits are executed flawlessly.
