Srinagar will have slick bunkers and smart policing in place ahead of the working group meeting of tourism delegates from G-20 nations from May 22-24.
The Srinagar Smart City Ltd. (SSCL) has been tasked to “facelift and renovate” the existing bunkers on the main roads in Srinagar’s south and eastern pockets. An official said the facelifting will cost ₹44.44 lakh and the entire cost will be borne by the SSCL.
Scores of permanent bunkers were set up in Srinagar after the Centre ended the special constitutional position of Jammu & Kashmir by reading down Article 370 in 2019. Dozens of bunkers jutting out on the roadside could be spotted on the routes where the cavalcades of delegates are scheduled to drive on, including the route from the Srinagar airport to the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the Dal Lake, the main venue of the meeting.
Officials said the bunkers will be realigned, painted and subtly placed so as not to become an eyesore during the meeting. Many security barriers will be removed from the roadside, they added.
Around 200 delegates, including 80 delegates from the G-20 countries, are likely to attend the meeting in Srinagar.
SSCL chief executive officer (CEO) and Srinagar Municipal Commissioner (SMC) Athar Aamir Khan, in a notice, asked locals to undertake facade improvements and paint their walls white and peach.
“While the government is making necessary arrangements for the upliftment of the city, it’s important that the citizens play their part in sprucing up the city. The citizens are accordingly requested to contribute towards the success of the event by undertaking facade improvement. The walls may be painted in white and peach similar to the existing colour scheme,” Mr. Khan emphasised in the notice.
Smart policing
Official sources said security agencies are monitoring social media spaces and gathering technical inputs from the ground to collect any input on ill intentions of militants.
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Around 600 policemen, who would handle the delegates, have been sent to Udhampur in Jammu for soft skills training, where a lot of focus will be put on polite mannerisms. An official said a lot of thrust has been put on smart policing during the delegates’ visit.
Officials said the footsteps of security personnel will also be reduced from the city streets and traffic restrictions for locals, when the cavalcades of delegates move, are “likely to be minimal”.
Meanwhile, the city is also getting a makeover with newly-laid footpaths and realigned roads. G-20 theme colours have been used to paint flyovers and streets.
