Delhi Police recommends public holiday on Sep 8-10 in view of G20 Summit

Delhi government sources said schools and colleges are likely to remain closed during the three days, even as no official order has been issued

New Delhi: In view 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 sources said schools and colleges are likely to remain closed during the three days, even as no official order has been issued.

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Closure of a few metro stations like the Supreme Court and Central Secretariat is also on the cards due to security reasons, police sources 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 the dignitaries from abroad.

There are multiple hotels in the 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.

Special CP (Traffic) S S Yadav told PTI that his department was in coordination with the transport department and the Delhi Metro.

Routes on which DTC buses will not be allowed to ply during the summit would be decided and some of the metro stations might be closed as well, he said. “It is a coordinated effort and people of Delhi will be informed about each and every step taken in this direction,” Yadav said.

The national capital is already being decked up for the big event, with Lt Governor V K Saxena hitting the roads to inspect G20-related projects.

Sixty-one important roads and 23 hotels associated with the G20 Summit are being monitored. More than a dozen newly-inducted civil servants have been deployed in Delhi for round-the-clock patrol to point out gaps in preparations for the G20 Summit, officials said last week.