Hyderabad: Old bathroom fittings were replaced with new ones including the geyser, a new wi-fi router was in place, besides a phone, the room was plastered to give it a new look, electricity supply was restored and a brand new room heater with radiator was purchased. In no time, the ‘rudra’ cave was spruced up with all new facilities.
The second was the local police with whom were present the personal staff of the PM, while the outer and third cordon was where a mixed component of local police, SDRF personnel, doctors, porters and palkiwallahs were stationed, all of whom had been given a thorough briefing on how they should coordinate and act in the event of immediate evacuation.
As the temperature dipped to minus three in the night, the security personnel remained alert, and braving the cold continued that way till morning.
The PM's aides had done a weather check and they informed the Uttarakhand administration that the PM is sure he would stay in the cave itself, despite the dipping temperatures and related health concerns.
“The Uttarakhand administration, like that of any other state, has handled many VVIP visits but this one was the first of its kind where more than man-made threats, the hostile weather and the choice of accommodation (a cave) came as a huge challenge. But in the end, the Uttarakhand administration did a great job despite the challenges,” one senior official based in New Delhi told this newspaper.
