Pres Kovind to visit U'khand amidst prediction of heavy showers

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a two-day visit to Uttarakhand, starting today, to pay homage at the Himalayan shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath, besides worshipping the Ganga in Haridwar.

This will be President Kovind's first visit to the state after assuming the office.

He will be arriving at the Jollygrant airport in Dehradun this afternoon, where Governor KK Paul and Chief Minister Trivendra

Singh Rawat will receive him.

The President will first go to Haridwar to worship the Ganga and take a pledge for conserving the river at Har Ki Pauri ghat. He will be the second president, after Pranab Mukherjee, to take a Ganga conservation pledge.

He will also visit the Seva Kunj Ashram in Haridwar, which works for lepers and the physically challenged.

On Sundar morning, after a tree plantation programme at Raj Bhawan, the President will leave for Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Tight security arrangements have been made in view of his visit, with security drills conducted in Dehradun.

Meanwhile the Met department has warned of heavy rain in many areas of Uttarkhand on Saturday.

These areas are Nainital, US Nagar, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Pauri, Haridwar and Dehradun districts.

All district magistrates have been asked to remain attentive and keep disaster response mechanism ready to deal with emergency situations.