G20 Summit: Delegates arrive amid tight deployment in Srinagar

Delegates have arrived in Srinagar as the city is all set to host the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting on Monday.

All preparation has been put in place and armed forces have been put on high alert as this is the first major international event after Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was scrapped in 2019.

For this three-day G20 Summit, from May 22-24, Kashmir is witnessing a three-tier deployment for aerial surveillance drone monitoring, National Security Guard (NSG) and MARCOS commandos are being deployed around the venue, and Jammu and Kashmir Police’s special operation group (SOG) are deployed at several places. The city walls and roads are decorated.

While there will be no restrictions on public movement public in Srinagar, all shops and business establishments are open.

Earlier on Sunday, Chief Coordinator of the G-20 event Harsh Vardhan Shringla, said that Srinagar has gone through a massive make-over.

“Fibre cable are being laid down and a huge development has taken place on war-footing,” he said. He said that G-20 events are being held in north, south, east and western parts of India for the first time.

“Massive awareness camps have been held in all parts of the country about the G-20. Specifically about G-20 event in Srinagar, the guests’ arrivals have commenced and we are all set to host the Tourism Working Group’s event related to G-20 in Srinagar from tomorrow onwards,” said Shringla.

He said that there will be international speakers, guests and guest from various parts of India. “There will be group discussions as well. I believe the event will help revive the economy of J&K and its vast potential of tourism,” Shringla said, adding that “the event will help give a big push to J&K’s sustainable tourism, adventure tourism, film and eco-tourism.”

He said the event will open doors of opportunities for the people of JK, who are bestowed with the natural beauty.

Speaking on the occasion, JK’s Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta said that over the past few years, JK’s tourism influx has seen an upward trend.