By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 6 Mar: President of India Droupadi Murmu will lay the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art public park on 132 acres of land in the historic Presidential Bodyguards complex, Ashiyana, on Rajpur Road on 20 June this year. This announcement was made during a high-level meeting held today at the Aashiyana, chaired by Rakesh Gupta, Additional Secretary to the President, and attended by senior officials of the Uttarakhand government.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) of this park is currently being prepared. Upon completion, the park will be dedicated to the people of Uttarakhand by the President next year.
During the meeting, Additional Secretary Rakesh Gupta emphasised that this park will serve as a historic project, boasting world-class facilities, innovative design, and sustainable features, and will act as a hub for greenery, health, and cultural programmes. This initiative aligns with the vision of the President to enhance citizen engagement in Uttarakhand. These initiatives reflect the President’s commitment to participatory governance and community-driven development.
Gupta urged all departmental officers to ensure that infrastructure facilities, including roads, electricity, water, traffic, parking, communication, security, and peace and order, are completed on time. He also called for suggestions from officers for the park’s development to make it more beneficial for the public and instructed that these suggestions be included in the DPR.
The vast green space on Rajpur Road will feature multi-activity areas, cycling tracks, world-class sports facilities, children’s play areas, picnic lawns, walking and jogging tracks, forest nature trails, water features, and many other attractions. Rakesh Gupta invited the public to share their inputs on the attractions and amenities to be included in the park’s development. Citizens are encouraged to provide suggestions via a public feedback form available on the official Rashtrapati Bhavan website, to be completed by 6 April.
During the meeting, Rakesh Gupta also reviewed the progress of the 21-acre Presidential House in Dehradun, which will be opened to the public by the President on 20 June 2025. The complex will include a visitor facility centre, horse riding, an Amphitheatre, an art exhibition, a cafeteria, and a souvenir store. Rakesh Gupta directed officials from all relevant departments to complete the work on time.
The meeting was attended by Swati Shahi, Director, President’s Secretariat; PRO President’s Secretariat Kumar Samaresh; Secretary to the Governor Ravinath Raman; District Magistrate Savin Bansal; Additional Secretaries Abhishek Ruhela; Reena Joshi; Vineet Kumar; Apurna Pandey; Senior Superintendent of Police, Dehradun, Ajay Singh; and officials from the Central Public Works Department along with departments of Forest, Public Works, Drinking Water, Transport, and Electricity.
