CHENNAI: An Advanced Security Liaison (ASL) team from the Special Protection Group (SPG) is coming to Mamallapuram next week to study the security aspects for hosting a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for next month.
“We received the information only on Sunday and we are expecting a group of Advanced Security Liaison (ASL) from the Special Protection Group (SPG) next week to inspect the places in Mamallapuram and only then will we be able to confirm if the location of the meeting is fixed here,” said police sources privy to the matter.
Mamallapuram is one of the probable places that could host the meet between top leaders of India and China. Some other cities in the country are also being considered for this key meeting. In April last year, Modi and Xi Jinping had held multiple meetings in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, as part of an unprecedented two-day informal summit to solidify the India-China relationship.
Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram and located on the scenic East Coast Road about 50 km from here, is home to various ancient monuments and temples. Mamallapuram is one of the oldest structural excellence of South India and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If Mamallapuram is fixed as the venue for the informal summit between Modi and Xi Jinping, they are expected to visit the ancient monuments.
Last year, Modi inaugurated the Defence Expo 2018 hosted in Mamallapuram which was attended by participants from various countries.