Arrangements at brisk pace

Visakhapatnam: The port-cum-steel city is agog with excitement as it is hosting the first Cabinet meeting of the new Andhra Pradesh Government here on Thursday.

The most likely venue is the Tikkavarapu Lakshmi Narayanareddy Sabha Hall in Andhra University. It is being chosen since the summer session of the first linguistic State of Andhra Pradesh was held here in May 1954 when ‘Andhra Kesari’ Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu was Chief Minister. The sessions proved to be lively with Deputy Chief Minister Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy and his brother-in-law and Opposition Leader Tarimela Nagireddy involved in meaningful debate, it was said.

The Andhra University authorities began sprucing up the TLN Sabha Hall, built in 1939 and renovated over a decade ago. The exteriors and interiors of the building were cleaned up and being given a fresh coat of paint and engineering and electrical section of AU has kept its personnel on the job. District Collector Solomon Arokia Raj, along with Joint Collector Praveen Kumar, District Revenue Officer M Venkateswara Rao and Zilla Praja Parishad CEO Maheswara Reddy visited the hall. Andhra University Vice-Chancellor Prof. GSN Raju received them and discussed what has to be done. The Collector directed taking up repairs immediately to make it ready for the June 12 meeting.

Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who arrived in the city to a tumultuous reception at the Visakhapatnam Airport on Tuesday evening, was expected to visit the AU campus late in the evening to inspect the venue. This would be followed by another Minister Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu’s visit to the place on Wednesday morning. The two, who were at loggerheads for some time, had decided to bury the hatchet and work together for not only the success of the Cabinet meeting but in all future government and party programmes, it is learnt.

Meanwhile, the AU Senate Hall, which is comparatively new with excellent facilities and has a seating capacity of 100, is also kept ready in case the Cabinet wants to meet there. Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner MV Satyanarayana has also put his staff on the job of giving a facelift to the entire city. The GVMC workers were seen cleaning the roads and drainages with the entire Cabinet and top officials of the new government visiting the city. The accommodation for the visitors is being arranged at the AU Platinum Guest House, which is at a stone’s throw from TLN Sabha Hall.