Srinagar: Bright early summer morning and the all spruced up Srinagar city awaited the arrival of G20 delegates on Monday on the group’s three-day visit to Kashmir.
Roads lined up with G20 logos, smart city messages, painted sidewalks and freshly macadamised roads marked the road from Srinagar international airport to Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention (SKICC) Centre, the venue of G20 meeting in Srinagar city.
The roads leading to the venue including shores, parks and buildings have been provided with absorbing looks to welcome the delegates. Viewpoints, hoardings, signboards have been put up and plantations have been done along the roads from Srinagar Airport to SKICC. There is hope among the people related to the tourism sector from the G20 meeting.
Marine commandos are guarding Dal Lake on the banks of which SKICC is located. NSG commandos are providing assistance to the local police and paramilitary forces to guard the venue.
Massive sanitisation and area domination exercises have been carried out in the areas around the venues, along the route and in vulnerable spots of the city.
Security forces have been deployed in large numbers to ensure an incident-free event. Scanners and sniffer dogs have been pressed into action to check for any explosives or IEDs.
Vehicles passing through the city are being randomly checked to ensure that no subversive elements manage entry into the city.
Schools in Srinagar have been closed for three days as a precautionary measure.
–IANS