Vice-President Hamid Ansari who arrived here for a three-day State visit was accorded a warm reception at the Naval Air Station, INS Garuda, on Thursday evening.
The flight, Rajdoot, carrying the Vice-President and his wife Salma Ansari along with a 23-member entourage touched down at the air station at 6.10 p.m.
They were received at the tarmac by the Union Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies K.V. Thomas; State Panchayats Minister M.K. Muneer; Dominic Presentation, MLA; Mayor Tony Chammany; Additional Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, Vice Admiral K.N. Sushil; secretary to the Governor A. Ajithkumar; General Administration Secretary K.R. Jyothilal; District Collector P.I. Sheikh Pareed, City Police Commissioner M.R. Ajith Kumar; and State Protocol Officer T.P. Vijayakumar.
Excise Minister K. Babu; MPs, P.J. Kurian, and Charles Diaz; and district panchayat vice-president Bindu George received the visiting dignitaries at the pandhal erected for their reception.
Mr. Ansari then left for the Ernakulam Government Guest House for an overnight stay. He will leave for Kozhikode from the Naval Air Station on Friday at 8.50 a.m. before returning to the city at 1.15 p.m.
The Vice-President will then leave for Kothamangalam from the Naval Air Station at 3 p.m. where he will inaugurate the golden jubilee celebrations of Mar Athanasius College of Engineering. He will return to the city at 5.30 p.m. and will stay for the night at the guest house.
