The Delhi Police has made a formal request to Delhi’s chief secretary, Naresh Kumar, asking for a public holiday to be declared from September 8 to 10 due to the upcoming G-20 Summit scheduled in New Delhi.
Additionally, they have urged the chief secretary to mandate the closure of commercial and business establishments within designated “controlled zones.”
India, having taken over the G20 presidency in December, has been hosting a series of meetings and gatherings related to 32 sectors across the country in line with the forum’s activities. The culmination of these events will be marked by a meeting of the heads of governments and states from member nations in New Delhi on September 9-10.
A rehearsal for the summit’s carcade procession has necessitated special traffic arrangements, leading to traffic congestion in Central Delhi and the routes leading to Gurugram on Monday. Notable areas affected include Salimgarh Bypass, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Bhairon Marg, Mathura Road, C-Hexagon, Sardar Patel Marg, and Gurgaon Road.
A distinctive issue foreseen by the Delhi traffic police during the G20 summit pertains to the presence of around 100 left-hand drive (LHD) vehicles. Although the legality of driving LHD vehicles in India is in question, the police are inclined to overlook this for the occasion. However, they highlight the operational challenges stemming from the coexistence of LHD vehicles (used by most G20 countries) and right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles (used by India and a few other nations).
While countries like the US, Russia, and China have communicated their intention to bring in their own LHD vehicles, India’s Ministry of External Affairs has also procured approximately 50 LHD bulletproof Audi cars from Germany for the summit. These vehicles are expected to arrive in India within the next week or two. It’s worth noting that among G20 nations, only India, Australia, Japan, South Africa, and the UK utilize RHD vehicles, while the rest opt for LHD ones.
