President Ram Nath Kovind arrived in Bhubaneswar in a special Indian Air Force flight on Saturday for his two-day visit to the pilgrim town of Puri.
Governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik welcomed President Kovind on his arrival at the Biju Patnaik International Airport. Kovind will leave for Puri in a special helicopter.
As per the schedule, President Kovind will visit the Puri Jagannath Temple in the evening. During the VVIP’s visit, no devotees will be allowed inside the shrine. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had also released a SOP in this connection.
Kovind is scheduled to visit the Sri Chaitanya Goudia Mutt to offer tributes to Srimad Bhaktisiddhant Goswamy Prabhupad tomorrow. He will also inaugurate the three-year-long celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of the founder of the Goudiya mission.
A thick blanket of security is in place for President Kovind’s visit to Puri. Around 40 platoons of police force have been deployed for the security arrangements in the pilgrim town for the two-day visit of the President.
Special traffic arrangements have been made and the focus will be on ensuring that there is minimum inconvenience to the devotees and other residents during the President’s visit.
Notably, this will be the President’s third visit to Puri. Last time, he along with his wife Savita Kovind, had paid a visit to the holy town in March 2021.