Patil shifts to 4 bedroom house in New Delhi

After five years of stay in the 340-room Presidential mansion, Pratibha Patil on Wednesday moved to a four bedroom bungalow here at a high-security area in the heart of the capital.

President Pranab Mukherjee escorted his predecessor to 2, Tughlaq Lane bungalow located at a posh area in Lutyens' Delhi also housing VIPs including Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and Union Ministers Veerappa Moily and Krishna Tirath.     

Hours after Mukherjee took over as President, a Presidential limousine escorted by a convoy consisting of Airforce police, Naval police and Military police, rolled up to the bungalow, where Patil would stay for the next couple of months.

The Central Public Works Department has renovated the house which has one living room, one dining room, one pantry and one kitchen, urban development ministry  officials said.

A sprawling bungalow in Pune is being readied for Patil who is expected to shift there later this year. Patil, India's first woman President, reached her new residence at 1.40 pm shortly after demitting office.

She was received by her staff, relatives and immediate neighbour Air Marshal Anil Chopra and his wife. After spending 5 minutes at former President's residence, which has a total 288 sq meter built up area and .75-acre lawn attached to it, Mukherjee left for Rashtrapati Bhavan.

It is customary for the newly elected President to escort the outgoing President to his/her new bungalow. The request by media for a brief interaction with Patil was turned down by her office.