CHENNAI: Elaborate arrangements have been made at the Ripon Building, Chennai Corporation’s headquarters, to host the swearing-in ceremony of AIADMK’s Saidai S Duraisamy as the Mayor of the city on Tuesday. The ruling AIADMK, for the first time in the Corporation’s 323-year history, won the prestigious post.
Security has been beefed-up as Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and a posse of her ministers are expected to witness the ceremony at the Council Hall at 11 AM.
A special police squad sanitized the building in the morning. According to Corporation sources, Ripon building has been provided with five-tier security cover for Jayalalithaa and her ministers. Separate pandals have been erected on the building lawns to host relatives of the newly-elected 200 Councillors, who will also take oath on Tuesday.
Jayalalithaa will become the second Chief Minister in office to visit the Ripon Building premises over the last two decades.
In October 1996, then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi along with his family members visited the Ripon building to witness the swearing-in ceremony of his son M K Stalin as the first directly elected Mayor of the Corporation.
Meanwhile, a senior AIADMK party functio- nary and the Finance Minister O Pannerselvam visited the building in the evening and inspected the arrangements. However, it is still not clear whether the 24 DMK Councillors will attend the ceremony.
To welcome the new Mayor Duraisamy and the 200 councillors, Ripon Building has been decorated with bulbs and festoons.