Dehradun: President Pranab Mukherjee had to return to New Delhi today without paying obeisance at the Kedarnath temple due to bad weather.
The chopper carrying the President twice attempted to land at the Himalayan temple, located at a height of 3,581 metres in Rudraprayag district, but could not do so due to inclement weather, Additional DGP Anil Raturi said.
Later, the President returned to Raj Bhawan in Dehradun from where he left for Delhi after a few hours of rest.
The MeT department had announced arrival of monsoon rains in Uttarakhand yesterday. However, Mukherjee's visit to Kedarnath was scheduled prior to the announcement.
Earlier, Governor Krishna Kant Paul and Chief Minister Harish Rawat received the President as he arrived at the Jollygrant Airport here this morning.
At the Raj Bhawan, he was welcomed by Governor K K Paul and his wife Amita Paul, who presented him a coffee-table book titled "Beyond Belief" brought out by the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam and a set of vials of oil extracted from aromatic plants prepared by the Centre of Aromatic Plants, Dehradun.
Before leaving for Delhi, Mukherjee also planted saplings of camphor and Belpatra on Raj Bhawan precincts.
