Shimla awaits President Murmu’s arrival

Preparations are underway in Shimla for the proposed visit of President Droupadi Murmu, who is scheduled to be in the city from May 5 to 9. During her stay, the President will reside at The Retreat, the official Presidential residence located in Mashobra, about 13 km from the city. Although the detailed programme of her visit is yet to be released, she is likely to visit IIT-Mandi as part of her tour.

A meeting to discuss the arrangements was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Anupam Kashyap. Addressing the officials, Kashyap stressed the significance of the President’s visit and directed all departments to work in close coordination to ensure a seamless experience. He emphasised that no shortcomings would be tolerated and that every aspect of the visit must be executed with precision.

To ensure smooth movement of the President’s convoy, the Public Works Department has been instructed to carry out necessary repairs on the road from the Kalyani helipad to The Retreat. The DC also directed the electricity department to ensure proper maintenance of power lines along the convoy route and asked Shimla Jal Pradhikaran Nigam Ltd to guarantee uninterrupted water supply to The Retreat and surrounding areas.

The Shimla Municipal Corporation has been tasked with maintaining high standards of cleanliness at The Retreat and across the city. The fire department has been asked to conduct a thorough fire safety audit of the residence and other relevant locations, while the health department has been directed to make adequate medical arrangements.

Kashyap also ordered the removal of roadside vehicles in key areas like Dhalli and Sanjauli to ensure smooth traffic flow during the visit. He said that police personnel would be deployed at various points across Shimla and surveillance will be intensified using CCTV cameras installed throughout the city.

The meeting was attended by ADC Abhishek Verma, ADM (Protocol) Jyoti Rana, ASP Navdeep Singh, Ratan Negi, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Shimla Rural) Manjeet Singh, SDM (Shimla Urban) Oshin Sharma and officers from various departments involved in the planning.

Himachal Tribune