NEW DELHI: Residents of Delhi-NCR will be issued an advisory to stay at home and only step out for essential services for three days in a row as a run-up to the G20 Summit that will be held in Delhi on September 9 and 10.
“The Delhi government is being urged to declare September 8 (Friday) as a holiday, wherein schools and offices would be closed. The two days of the summit happen to be on the weekend, so the movement will be restricted. Thousands of people will be part of the entourage of the G20 members and in order to make their movement within the city seamless without traffic jams, these steps would be taken,” said a source.
Most arrivals of the delegations are expected to take place around September 8 evening and departures by the evening of September 10 or the morning of 11. Around 28 premier hotels in and around Delhi-NCR have been booked for the delegates.
With big leaders such as US President Joe Biden, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, British PM Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron expected to attend this summit in person, these steps would ensure that movements within the city are seamless and uninterrupted.
“The best hotels have been identified and earmarked, especially for the guests and their teams. Some member countries had reservations about staying in proximity to the Chinese and Russian delegations. So, arrangements have been made for friendly countries to stay in the same property. For instance, Chinese and Brazilian delegations are likely to be staying in proximity,” the source added.
The entourage of some countries is expected to be big, especially that of the US, which is expected to include over 500 people. The delegations from China and Japan are going to be large too. Saudi Arabia, which is a guest country, has reportedly booked an entire hotel as they too will have a large entourage.
Meanwhile, the official venue — International Exhibition Cum Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan — will have a rest area for the delegates and a facility for a live screening of the meetings. Bilateral meeting rooms have also been set up.
Interestingly, for the spouses who will accompany the delegates, the programmes that they can opt for include visits to places of cultural and historic interest and also places from where they can shop for traditional stuff.