The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Work on war-footing for ‘mega’ meet

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Monday, Aug 25, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Work on war-footing for ‘mega’ meet

Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI: With time ticking away for the D Day - August 26 when the mega star Chiranjeevi would stage his political ‘arangetram’ at the temple city of Tirupati to unveil the chemistry of his political outfit besides declaring its agenda, ‘jenda’ and its ‘signature’ song, work is underway on a war-footing to get the venue ready for the ‘mega’ meet.

Barring a small stretch, the entire 120-acre sprawling tank bed has been levelled and barricades erected all around. Workers engaged on the snake-infested tank bed had a tough time and had to scamper around for life with the reptiles crawling menacingly all over as the bull dozers mowed down the shrub jungles on the tank bed. Many snakes either got crushed under the steel wheels of the proclans or were killed by the workers and Chiru zealots hanging around the venue. Sources said that the animal-enthusiasts working against cruelty to animals have at one stage taken a serious note of the indiscriminate killing of the snakes and even thought of serving a notice on the organisers. But the timely intervention by some in the ‘Chiru’ camp at the top-level has cooled them down.

Meanwhile, taking no chances with the security of the VVIP and the five lakh plus crowd expected to throng the venue from all over the State, the organisers at the instance of the police have blocked rear portion of the dais with zinc sheets and put up steel barricades.

The Superintendent of Police, Chittoor, Lakshmi Reddy is almost on a daily beat to the venue ever since the arrangements started picking up. Chiru’s brother-in-law and the campaign in-charge, Allu Aravind is said to shuttling almost daily between Tirupati and Hyderabad.

The massive dais from where mega star with no one else around is expected to officially launch his party with his maiden address is receiving finishing touches.

Till late in the evening, artistes were seen giving finer touches to the images of Mother Theresa, Ambedkar, Jyothirao Pule painted on the huge flex board which would provide the backdrop to the to the mammoth podium. Huge stocks of digital screens, flood lights, serial lamps, arc lamps, remote-controlled and conventional mike sets, loud speakers and what not have already arrived at the venue even as the technicians were busy fixing them.

Off the venue inside the town, huge hoardings with the megastar giving his trademark salute are dotting the roads leading to the city giving a warm welcome to those on their ‘mega’ pilgrimage to the spiritual city of Tirupati.

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