President Ram Nath Kovind arrives in Hyd for southern sojourn

President Ram Nath Kovind arrived here on Friday for his customary southern sojourn.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his ministerial colleagues and senior officials welcomed Kovind at the Hakimpet Air Force Station in the city on Friday afternoon.

The President would stay at Rashtrapati Nilayam in the city, one of the Presidential Retreats, during his visit.

He would leave for Thiruvananthapuram on December 23 and return to the city on December 26 evening, a state government release said on December 16.

The President would host a 'At Home' at the Rashtrapati Nilayam on December 27.

Kovind would return to Delhi on December 28, the release had said.

It is customary for the President to visit Rashtrapati Nilayam and stay there at least once a year and conduct official business from there.

The Rashtrapati Nilayam building, located at Bolarum, was taken over from the Nizam of Hyderabad after India attained independence and handed over to the President's Secretariat.

Constructed during 1860, the building has a total land area of 90 acres. A single-storied building, it contains in its premises 11 rooms.