President Pranab Mukhejee's scheduled Kedarnath visit on Wednesday was cancelled because of the inclement weather. His chopper could not have reached Kedarnath due to poor visibility. He was taken back to Gauchar helipad. Although the pilot tried twice but could not land at Kedarnath. Finally, the visit was officially cancelled. He had taken off for Kedarnath from Jollygrant by MI-17 helicopter.
When the President arrived at Jollygrant he was received, among others, by Governor KK Paul and Chief Minister Harish Rawat. He left for Kedarnath after spending a few minutes at Jollygrant. As the pilot could not cross Rambara he returned to Gauchar. A second time he reached Kedar Dham but again the pilot could not locate the helipad. Although officials had used tear gas to give signal to the pilot, he returned to Gauchar again.
As per the schedule, he was supposed to reach Rajbhawan after paying obeisance at Kedarnath. But the plan going wrong, he returned to Jollygrant and went to Rajbhwan and spent there a few hours. Thereafter, he left for Delhi from Jollygrant.
During his stay at Rajbhawan, Rawat had a long chat with the President. He sounded sorry and invited the President to visit again in September-October. To make foolproof arrangements senior police officers and administrative officers had been stationed in Kedarnath. Kedarnath was virtually turned into a fortress.