Bhubaneswar: In her second train journey in Odisha as President, Droupadi Murmu travelled about 170 km from Bhubaneswar to Berhampur on Tuesday, the second day of her visit to the state.Accompanied by Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and CM Mohan Charan Majhi, Murmu boarded the specially-designated ‘President Special’ train at the Bhubaneswar railway station at 9 am and reached Berhampur in about two hours.To ensure maximum security, the special train was flanked by two escort trains, one leading and the other following it. Rail traffic on the route was suspended during the journey.The ‘President Special’ had arrived in Bhubaneswar from Delhi ahead of the President’s departure. A multi-layered security arrangement was put in place at the railway station by the commissionerate police, Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF). Platforms 1 and 2 were secured exclusively for the President’s movement. Officials said around 40 platoons of police personnel were deployed in and around the station as part of the elaborate security arrangements.On reaching Berhampur, the President’s convoy proceeded to Taptapani, where she visited the Pantha Nivas before proceeding to the hot spring. Murmu offered prayers at the Maa Kandhuni Devi Temple and Nilakantheswar Shiva Temple. After offering prayers, she greeted people gathered at the site and distributed chocolates among children and students.The President is scheduled to halt for the night at the Army Air Defence College and return to Bhubaneswar by the same train on Wednesday morning.Murmu’s Odisha visit began on Monday when she inaugurated Jagadguru Kripalu University in Cuttack.Earlier, in Nov 2023, the President travelled by train during her visit to Mayurbhanj after flagging off new train services. She then took a train ride from Badampahar railway station to her native village.
