All arrangements are in place in the city to receive President Pranab Mukherjee who is scheduled to arrive at the Kochi Naval Airport on Thursday afternoon.
The President will inaugurate a seminar on ‘Importance of Sustainable Culture Building’ on March 2 at Cabral Yard in Fort Kochi, visit Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) at Aspinwall House, and deliver the sixth K.S. Rajamony Memorial Lecture at Le Meridian. He will return to New Delhi at 6.50 p.m.
Security arrangements at all venues were reviewed by top officials including Additional DGPs B. Sandhya and B.S. Muhammed Yasin; Inspector General of Police P. Vijayan; District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla; and Sub Collector Adeela Abdulla. A trial run of the President’s cavalcade was also held.
He will be received at the airport by a delegation led by Governor P. Sathasivam and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Mayor Soumini Jain; A.R. Karve, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command; State Police Chief Loknath Behra; the District Collector; and City Police Commissioner M.P. Dinesh will be present.
He will leave for Fort Kochi by road from the airport and reach Cabral Yard at 4 p.m. where he will inaugurate the seminar. Mr. Sadasivam, Mr. Vijayan, Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, Tourism Department Principal Secretary V. Venu, KMB Foundation office-bearers Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu will be present.
The President will reach the main venue of KMB, Aspinwall House, at 4.47 p.m. He will take a buggy trip and view installations. He will leave for Le Meridian by road and reach there at 5.15 p.m. to deliver the memorial lecture.
The Governor, the Chief Minister, Kerala High Court Acting Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and the President’s press secretary Venu Rajamani will be among those present. He will reach the naval airport at 6.40 p.m. and will return at 6.50 p.m.
Traffic curbs
Traffic regulations and parking ban will be enforced at NH-47A (in front of Naval Base),Vathuruthy, BOT Bridge, Palluruthy, Thoppumpady, Fort Kochi, Thevara Ferry and Kundannoor Junction from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Motorists approaching from Aroor for taking the Perumpadapu-Palluruthy-Thoppumpady-BOT Bridge route to Ernakulam should instead take the Aroor-Vyttila national highway. Parking of vehicles, including container lorries, would not be allowed in these areas and those found violating the ban will be forcibly removed.
Byroads along the route of Presidential cavalcade will be blocked 20 minutes in advance. Residents on either side of the roads should not take out their vehicles 30 minutes ahead of the Presidential passage, the police said.
Roads within the city limits to be taken by the President will be out of bounds for container and other lorries.
Biennale venues
Aspinwall House and Cabral Yard will be closed for the day because of security reasons. Other Biennale venues would remain open and entry would be free on Thursday, said a release issued by the Kochi Biennale Foundation.
Holiday declared
In view of the President’s visit, the District Collector has declared holiday from 11.30 a.m. to Aquinas Institute of Management (parallel college); St. Paul’s School; Delta Study School; Fathima GHS and LPS; St. Mary’s AIGHS; Santa Cruz High School and LPS; St. John De Britto School; Government LP and UP School, Kalvathy; EMGHS Government HS, Kalvathy; EMGHS Government LP School, Veli; EMGHS Government High School, Veli; EMGHS Government Higher Secondary School, Veli; Government UP School, Amaravathy; Government UP School, Thamaraparambu; and St. Francis LP School, Fort Kochi.
