Rairangpur: President Droupadi Murmu Friday began her two-day visit to Odisha, reaching Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district by road from Kalaikunda Air Force Station in adjoining West Bengal after adverse weather conditions disrupted her scheduled helicopter journey, official sources said.
Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and other dignitaries received the President on her arrival.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to join the President at Pahadpur village, her in-laws’ village in Mayurbhanj district, Saturday.
According to official sources, the President’s helicopter could not take off from Kalaikunda AFS near Kharagpur due to inclement weather, forcing her to cover the 140 km distance by road. She arrived in Kalaikunda from Indore on a flight.
Murmu reached Rairangpur around 5.45 pm, about two hours behind her scheduled arrival time, they said.
The President travelled via the Jamsola check gate and entered Odisha near Jhadpokharia. The route passed through National Highway-49 before connecting to the state highway from Bisoi to Rairangpur, the sources said.
Despite the delay, all scheduled programmes, including the inauguration of a medical camp at the Rairangpur Sub-Divisional Hospital and the launch of a mega piped water supply project, were held as planned, an official said.
The governor and the chief minister also travelled by road from Bhubaneswar to Rairangpur in view of the weather-related disruption.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, Majhi welcomed the President to Odisha and said her visit to mark two years of his government’s tenure was a matter of pride for the people of the state.
“I welcome our Odisha’s daughter and Honourable President of the country, Smt Droupadi Murmu, to the state. Her visit to grace the celebration of two years of our government’s service and good governance is a moment of immense pride and honour for over four crore Odias,” the chief minister said.
He said the President’s guidance would inspire the state in its efforts towards development and prosperity.