Security tightened in Uttarakhand ahead of President's visit

Security was today tightened in Uttarakhand ahead of President Ramnath Kovind's two-day visit to the state starting tomorrow to pay obeisance at the Himalayan shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath besides worshipping the Ganga in Haridwar.
It would be President Kovind's first visit to the state after assuming office.
The president will arrive at the Jollygrant airport here in the afternoon where he will be received by Governor K K Paul, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Secretary S Ramswamy and DGP Anil Raturi, official sources here said.
The Mountain battalion of the Army's Central Command will give a guard of honour to him at the airport, from where he will go to Haridwar along with the governor and the CM, Dehradun SSP Nivedita Kukreti told PTI.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in view of the president's visit with security drills conducted here and deployment of around 10 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary besides seven SP-level officers and around 14 circle officers to oversee the arrangements, the SSP said.
Kovind is scheduled to get down at BHEL helipad in Haridwar at around 4 PM from where he will go to the Har ki Pauri ghat to worship the Ganga and take a pledge for conserving the river, Ganga Sabha, which is organising the programme, said.

It said Kovind will be the second president after Pranab Mukherjee to take a Ganga conservation pledge.

The president will then visit the Seva Kunj Ashram in Haridwar which works for lepers and the physically challenged, Ganga Sabha official Pandit Ramkumar Mishra said.
IG Garhwal Sanjay Gunjyal held a meeting with senior police officials in Haridwar to review the security arrangements.
Kovind will return to Dehradun in the evening tomorrow where the governor will host a banquet in his honour at Raj Bhawan.
After a tree plantation programme at Raj Bhawan on Sunday morning, the president will leave in a chopper for Kedarnath and Badrinath.
In Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts where Badrinath and Kedarnath are located respectively, the official machinery has made arrangements to welcome the president, an official in Gopeshwar said.

The president will first visit the Kedarnath shrine and after offering prayers there will go to Badrinath via Gauchar where he will take rest for about an hour.