Delhi Police recommends public holiday on Sep 8-10 for G20 Summit

With a host of planned security and traffic arrangements for the G20 Summit, the Delhi Police has suggested declaring a public holiday during September 8-10 and closing of commercial establishments located mostly in the New Delhi area, according to an official document. Delhi government officials said schools and colleges are likely to remain closed during the three days, even as no official order has been issued. Closure of a few metro stations like the Supreme Court and Central Secretariat is also on the cards due to security reasons, police said, adding that heavy vehicles, excluding those involved in essential services, may not be allowed to enter the city from September 8 to 10. In an August 18 letter to Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, Special Police Commissioner Madhup Tiwari mentioned there will be arrangements of massive scale during the G20 Summit for which a comprehensive security-cum-movement plan has been prepared. India is hosting the G20 Summit and the main event will be held in New Delhi on September 9-10. The summit is likely to be attended by 29 heads of state as well as top EU officials and invitee guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations. The letter stated that apart from the main summit venue, the new convention centre at Pragati Maidan, there are other venues such as Rajghat, IARI Pusa and NGMA (Jaipur House) which will see visits from the dignitaries abroad. There are multiple hotels in Delhi-NCR which have been earmarked for the heads of state, governments, international organisations and their delegates. The special commissioner said that since most of the arrivals will take place on September 8, which is a Friday, and delegates will depart on September 10-11, there will be a massive movement of traffic which needs to be curtailed to ensure safe passage for the delegates. “Recognising the magnitude of this event and the substantial logistical arrangements involved, we believe that declaring a public holiday during the G-20 Summit will aid in minimising potential traffic congestion, minimising inconvenience to the residents of Delhi and also provide them the opportunity to witness this global summit…,”Tiwari wrote. He also said it was advisable to issue directions for commercial establishments, including markets, falling within the ‘controlled zone’ located mostly in the New Delhi district during this period. The special commissioner said the Delhi Police will be issuing traffic advisories for the summit. “We understand the importance of maintaining essential services during this time and assure you that we are committed to assist in the implementation of any necessary contingency plans to ensure the continuity of critical functions,” he said in the letter. “In view of the above, we kindly request the esteemed authority to consider declaring a public holiday in Delhi from 8th September to 10th September 2023 and ordering commercial and business establishments to remain dosed in the indicated ‘controlled zone’ for the overall success of the summit,” the special commissioner added.