Pratibha Patil's three-day visit to Sikkim starts Wednesday


Gangtok, April 13 (IANS) President Pratibha Patil is scheduled to attend the concluding function of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Sikkim High Court during a three-day maiden visit to Sikkim beginning Wednesday.

Patil, who is slated to land at the Libing Army Helipad here at 3 p.m. Wednesday, would spend the night at the Raj Bhavan before inaugurating the Kanchenjunga Tourist Village and Amusement Park at Ranka village on the outskirts of this capital city Thursday.

She is also scheduled to take a helicopter mountain flight on army choppers stationed here in the border state Thursday.

On Friday, the president would address the concluding function of the celebrations of the high court after which she visits the famous Saramsa Gardens, about 12 km from Gangtok. Pratibha Patil will also attend the convocation of the Sikkim University, of which she is the chancellor, before returning to Delhi the same day.

The tiny himalayan state, which shares its boundaries with China in the north-east and Nepal in the west, is all geared up for the high-profile visit.

National flags flutter from the houses on the main thoroughfares, the city is decorated with flowers, while the Border Roads Organisation and state Public Works Department are busy carrying out emergency street repairs.

Indo Asian News Service