With less than a week left for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), Hyderabad is getting decked up for delegates from 150 countries, especially US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump.
The roads, many of them battered in rains, are being re-carpeted, with municipal workers filling up potholes and covering open manholes.
The city authorities also launched a drive against the menace of beggars. Over 200 beggars were shifted to shelter homes in two jails. The officials, however, said they were already working towards the beggar-free city tag and the drive was not related to Trump's visit.
The sprawling campus on 35 acres that comprise the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) and the Hyderabad International Trade Expositions (Hitex), the venue of the three-day summit, was abuzz with activity, as workers were racing against time to give final touches.
Access to HICC has already been restricted, with security personnel erecting barricades on all the entry points. They are thoroughly checking the identity of visitors before allowing them in.
HICC, a huge convention centre equipped with world-class infrastructure, is getting the face-lift for the prestigious event, which will see participation of 1,500 delegates from around the world.
Ivanka Trump, who is also Advisor to the White House, will be leading the US delegation. She, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will address the inaugural session on 28 November. She will also speak at another session the next day.
While inaugural plenary and other sessions will be held at HICC, the nearby Hitex complex will be used for other summit related activities.
Work was in full swing at HICC, where the officials of the central government have already opened an office to ensure smooth arrangements for the summit, being co-hosted by India and the US.
The employees, with the help of hydraulic machines, were seen attending to various repair and maintenance work.
The convention centre, that can hold 6,000-delegate plenary, has hosted many global events since 2006. These include Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Asian Development Bank meeting, Global Investors Meet, and the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
Vehicles of officials, including security agencies, could be seen zipping through the HICC-Hitex complex, located around three km from Hitec City, the IT hub which houses several global tech giants.
Workers of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) were seen re-laying the one-km road that leads to the venue from Hitec City. Work was also on to re-lay footpaths, paint the kerbs and flyovers, and beautification of medians.
Similar activity was seen on the road which leads to Westin Hotel in Mindspace Raheja IT Park, where Ivanka Trump is expected to stay during her two-day visit.
Taj Falaknuma, the palace hotel where Modi will be hosting a dinner for Trump's daughter and other delegates on November 28, and Golconda Fort, where the Telangana government is hosting a reception for delegates the next day, were also being spruced up.
Falaknuma is located in the old city of Hyderabad, about 30 km from HICC and surrounded by densely-populated neighbourhoods and narrow roads. The area is virtually under the control of the police and security agencies working to ensure fool-proof security.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will host a dinner on November 29 at the historic Golconda Fort. As both Ivanka Trump and Modi would have left the city by then, the dinner will be attended by other delegates.
"The state government is spending Rs 8 crore on organising the summit, dinner and transport arrangements," said Jayesh Ranjan, Secretary, Information Technology and Commerce, Government of Telangana.
This does not include the money being spent by the GHMC for beautification around the venue, Falaknuma, Golconda, and also near the star hotels where the delegates will be staying.
(With inputs from IANS)
(This article was originally published in The News Minute.)
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