Hyderabad to host President Draupadi Murmu from Monday

All arrangements have been made for the five-day visit of President Draupadi Murmu to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh as part of the annual southern sojourn from Monday

All arrangements have been made for the five-day visit of President Draupadi Murmu to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh as part of the annual southern sojourn from Monday.

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A senior official in the state secretariat said Rashtrapati Nilayam at Bollaram in the Secunderabad cantonment area was spruced up to host Murmu, who is coming for the first time to Hyderabad after becoming the President.

It has been a custom since the 1950s’ for the President and family members to visit Hyderabad for a brief stay as part of a southern sojourn in December.

While Shimla has been the place for retreat for the President during the summer, Rashtrapati Nilayam at Hyderabad has been chosen for the winter retreat. A majestic building, built in 1860 in a sprawling area of 90 acres, has all 11 rooms for the presidential stay.

“For the last two years, however, Hyderabad has not been hosting the Presidential visit due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, after three years, Murmu will be arriving in Hyderabad,” the official quoted above said.

State chief secretary Somesh Kumar held a high-level meeting last week to review the arrangements for the presidential visit and asked the officials to coordinate with the district authorities to ensure that there would be no hiccups during the programmes Murmu would be attending.

Soon after landing in Hyderabad on Monday, Murmu, after a brief stay at Rashtrapati Nilayam, would fly down to the temple town of Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal district, where she would have darshan of Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy and Goddess Bramarambika temples.

An official note from the Andhra Pradesh government said chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, his cabinet colleagues and MLAs from the region would receive the President at Srisailam. During her visit, the President would inaugurate the ₹43 crore Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme of the tourism department at the temple.

On December 28, the President will visit the famous Ramappa temple of Mulug district, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site last year. On the same day, she would also visit the Bhadrachalam temple in Bhadradri Kothagudem district and participate in locally arranged programmes.

In Hyderabad, Murmu would also participate in the unveiling of the plaque of Har Dil Dhyan, to mark the sesquicentennial celebrations of Sri Ramachandraji Maharaj of Fatehpur by Sri Ramchandra Mission at Kanha Shanti Vanam, an official statement said.