President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Shimla on Saturday for a five-day visit to Himachal Pradesh. Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu welcomed her at Kalyani Helipad, Chhabra, near the Rashtrapati Nivas, also known as the President’s Retreat. Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania and cabinet minister Dhani Ram Shandil gave bouquets of flowers to the president.
During her stay, the President will reside at the President Retreat near Mashobra, approximately 14 km from Shimla.The retreat, which was opened to the public on April 20 last year, will be closed to visitors during the president’s stay. District Magistrate Anupam Kashyap stated that the president would depart for Delhi on May 8.
The president’s schedule includes a visit to the Shimla catchment area on May 5. On May 7, she will perform a puja at Sankat Mochan and Tara Devi temples, walk on Mall Road, attend a cultural evening at Gaiety Theatre, and join a dinner held in her honor at Raj Bhavan. On May 6, the president will attend the seventh convocation of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh in Dharamshala, where she is expected to award degrees and medals to outstanding students, including 11 PhD and six MPhil gold medalists, as well as 25 postgraduate and five undergraduate toppers.
In preparation for her visit to Dharamshala, Kangra deputy commissioner Hemraj Bairwa has prohibited paragliding and drone movement for the day, with exceptions for police and security agencies. Roads from the airport to the retreat and temples were repaired, and heavy vehicle movement in the town was restricted. Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said security has been deployed to ensure smooth traffic flow, and CCTV cameras have been installed for surveillance.
