President Murmu to arrive in Hyderabad for first southern sojourn

Hyderabad: President Droupadi Murmu will be arriving here on Monday for a five-day southern sojourn.

The President will stay at the Rashtrapati Nilayam, the official presidential retreat at Bolarum in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad.

This will be Murmu’s maiden visit to Hyderabad since she was elected to the highest office in July.

During her five-day stay, she would visit Ramappa and Bhadrachalam temples as well as participate in locally arranged programmes in the city.

The Telangana government has made elaborate arrangements for the President’s stay.

Security agencies have taken control of Rashtrapati Nilayam for fool-proof security. Army, police, revenue, Secunderabad Cantonment and other departments have made the arrangements for the President’s visit and her stay here.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar already held a meeting with the officials of various departments to review the arrangements made for the President’s visit.

He had directed Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation(GHMC) and Cantonment to take up road repair works and barricading so that traffic to the Rashtrapati Nilayam flows smoothly.

He had also directed the Electricity Department to ensure 24 hours power supply, the Medical Department to deploy medical teams and other departments to make arrangements at Rashtrapati Nilayam as per protocol.

Murmu will visit Keshav Memorial School in the city on December 27 and interact with students.

She would also participate in the unveiling of the plaque of ‘Har Dil Dhyan, Har Din Dhyan’ campaign to mark the sesquicentennial celebrations of Sri Ramachandraji Maharaj of Fatehpur by Sri Ramchandra Mission at Kana Shanti Vanam, Rangareddy district.

The President stays at least once a year in the Rashtrapati Nilayam and conducts official business from here.

The building was constructed in 1860 as the country house of the British Resident at Secunderabad. After Hyderabad State’s accession to India in 1948, it became the President’s retreat.

Mir Osman Ali Khan, then raj pramukh of Hyderabad, had officially handed over Rashrapati Nilayam to the government on August 14, 1955. Thus it became the third official residence of the President after Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi and Rashtrapati Nivas in Shimla.

Spread over 90 acres, the retreat’s premises comprise a sprawling landscaped garden, seasonal flowering plants, potted plants, natural cascading waterfalls and seven different types of nutrition gardens. The building has 20 rooms which include a dining hall and a movie theatre.

First President Rajendra Prasad had stayed here in 1955 and since then every President visited Hyderabad for southern sojourn at least one week every year.

Due to Covid-19 pandemic, President Ram Nath Kovind could not visit for the last two years. The last visit by Kovind was in December 2019.