With Visakhapatnam turning into a transit point for VVIPs attending the wedding of the daughter of PCC president and Transport Minister Botcha Satyanarayana and MP Jhansi Lakshmi at neighbouring Vizianagaram on Friday evening, the district and municipal officials are stretching themselves to make the stay smooth for the visiting dignitaries.
Governors of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka — E. S. L. Narasimhan, K. Rosaiah and H.R. Bharadwaj —, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, Speaker of the AP Assembly N. Manohar and Council Chairman A. Chakrapani are among those attending the wedding. Besides a host of Central and State Cabinet Ministers, MPs, chairpersons of various Assembly and Council committees, MLAs and MLCs are also turning up for the wedding.
There are at least 100 VIPs who have confirmed their attendance at the ceremonies being held at a sprawling three-acre ground at Pradeepnagar in Vizianagaram.
The convoy of the VIPs is expected to leave the city on Friday evening and return late in the night as the wedding is scheduled past 10 p.m. Security and protocol tops the agenda of the officials. Inspectors of police of all the Visakhapatnam city stations have been put on security/protocol duties for the wedding.
The GVMC officials have been instructed to keep the city clean giving top priority to sanitation. However, they are having a tough time repairing the pot-holed roads on the VIP routes. The frequent rain and heavy rain on Thursday added to their difficult task.
Even the staff and officials of the APSRTC have not been spared. A large number of senior staff and officials are active in making arrangements what with the father of the bride holding the portfolio under whose jurisdiction the corporation comes.
A number of visiting VIPs is also expected to worship the presiding deity at the famous Simhachalam shrine, forcing the officials to secure the route and make arrangements for their speedy darshan at the temple.
Accommodation in all guest houses and star hotels here has been booked.
With the all the VVIPs returning to the city for the night halt after the wedding, officials of various departments are leaving no stone unturned to secure accommodation.
