PMO set to move to Mumbai, hospital turns fortress

PMO sources said he will drive straight from the Mumbai airport to the hospital, which has been readied to receive it most high-profile patient after Amitabh Bachchan battled for his life here in 1982. Dr C Ranawat, the knee replacement expert who is to perform the surgery on Vajpayee is also scheduled to arrive from the United States tomorrow.

Joint Secretary in the PMO Ashok Saikia is already in Mumbai to ensure the PMO’s activities continue without any hitch during his sojourn in Mumbai. While the Breach Candy hospital will have several hotlines to the PM’s room for emergency situations, the main PMO, sources said, will operate out of Sahyadri Guest House which is not very far from the hospital. Several rooms have also been requisitioned in the Breach Candy hospital for the PMO staff.

The Special Protection Group (SPG) has taken charge of the security arrangements at the hospital which has virtually been turned into a fortress. Entry was restricted only to policemen and hospital staff. At least 500 city policemen are keeping round-the-clock vigil along the road and strategic traffic junctions in the Breach Candy area.

Commissioner of Police M.N. Singh and Deputy Commissioner Jai Jeet Singh visited the hospital premises to supervise security arrangements this afternoon. Meanwhile, a mock drill on the Prime Minister’s arrival was worked out in the evening. A cavalcade of more than two dozen cars were seen entering the hospital premises during the peak traffic hour.

Minimum inconvenience to the public is the underlying instruction to the law enforcing agencies in the city. The area around Breach Candy Hospital for a radius of one kilometre will be a hawker-free zone.

The area around the hospital is home to the glitterati of the city. Though the city police has ensured minimum inconvenience, the residents in the locality anticipate severe impediments and restrictions.

“Let’s face it, we will definitely be at the receiving end. The days the Prime Minister will be at the hospital will be no picnic for us,” said Dimple Shah, a resident of Warden Road.

Meanwhile in New Delhi, the Prime Minister devoted most of today clearing pending files which would otherwise have to wait till after his surgery. He also chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, which was attended by Home Minister L.K. Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes. The meeting was described by the PMO as “routine” but sources said it was significant considering the fact that PM will be out of action for a few days. In the evening, he attended the “At Home” at Air chief A.Y. Tipnis’s residence on the occasion of Air Force Day.

After spending about three to four days for post-surgery care at the hospital, Vajpayee, as per the schedule drawn up for him, will convalesce at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai for a few days before returning to Delhi. He has already sounded out his cabinet colleagues not to visit him during his sojourn in Mumbai because of the inconvenience it would cause.