President Droupadi Murmu will arrive in Shimla on May 4 for a five-day visit of Himachal Pradesh and will stay at the Rashtrapati Nivas, a presidential retreat, near Chharabra, about 14 km from the state capital.
District Magistrate Anupam Kashyap, who held a meeting with police and civil officers concerned regarding arrangements for the president's visit here on Wednesday, said that she would arrive at Shimla on May 4 and leave for Delhi on May 8. Her itinerary includes visit to the catchment area of Shimla on May 5 and Kangra on May 6. On May 7, she will perform puja (worship) at the Sankat Mochan and Tara Devi temples, take a stroll on the famous Mall Road, enjoy cultural evening at the Gaiety Theatre and join dinner in her honour at the Raj Bhawan.
Kashyap directed the Public Works Department to take up repairs of roads from the airport to the retreat and the Sankat Mochan and Tara Devi temples and instructed Shimla Municipal Corporation and SAD A (Special Area Development Authority) and the Forest Department to launch a cleanliness campaign in the surrounding areas. DSP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said that adequate police deployment would be made to ensure smooth traffic and CCTV cameras would be installed for surveillance and security purposes. The retreat, which was officially declared open for the general public on April 20 last year, will remain closed to the public till the president is in Shimla, officials said.
