LUCKNOW: While Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was huddled with senior state BJP leaders to discuss strategy for LS polls at his official residence in Lucknow on Monday evening, arrangements were being made on war footing for the first ever cabinet meeting of his government on the banks of Sangam at Kumbh in Prayagraj scheduled for Tuesday.

Special security arrangements have been made around the integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), the venue of the cabinet meeting, in Sector 1 of the Kumbh Mela area. The meeting is scheduled at 11 am.

“The CM will reach the Mela site on Tuesday morning. All 24 cabinet ministers, nine ministers of state (independent charge) and 22 ministers of state will stay at tent city. Arrangements have been made for 150 officers including Chief Secretary, DGP, Addl Chief Secretaries and around 15 principal secretaries,” said
Prayagraj DM Suhas LY.

As per state government sources, following the cabinet meeting, the CM and all 24 ministers including both the deputy CMs – Keshav Maurya  and Dinesh Sharma -- will take holy dip in the Sangam and go
for the ‘darshan’ of sacred Akshay Vat tree and Saraswati Koop opened for general public for the first time in Allahabad Fort adjacent to Mela site. They will also offer prayers at Hanuman temple.

The area around Sangam nose was cleaned and decorated on Monday for the holy dip that the ministers would take after the cabinet meeting. After darshan, the entire UP cabinet will then be taken to watch the Vicky Kaushal-starrer Uri at a special screening in a mobile theatre on Mela site. “‘Uri-The Surgical Strike’, would be screened for the cabinet in a mobile theatre,” said state government spokesperson and cabinet minister Sidharth Nath Singh on Monday.

Prayagraj DM said preparations were complete for the meeting and the holy dip. According to Additional Director General of police, SN Sabat, tight security arrangements were put in place in view of the cabinet meeting. Total 12 ASP, 30 DySP, 60 inspectors, 225 sub-inspectors and 1500 constables along with water
police and ATS squad have been deployed to ensure VVIP security, said the ADG.