G20 Summit: Delhi offices, schools, shops & banks to be shut

New Delhi: Delhi will virtually be closed from September 8 to 10 in view of the G20 Summit. All government, municipal corporation, and private offices and schools in Delhi will remain shut during this period, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said. Even banks, financial institutions, and shops will remain closed on these three days.

Earlier, the Delhi Police’s Special Commissioner wrote to the Chief Secretary of the city government, recommending that a government holiday be observed from September 8 to 10. The G20 summit, a gathering of leaders from the world’s largest economies, is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10 at the recently-inaugurated state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam convention centre in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan.

The move will alleviate any potential traffic congestion and logistical challenges during the summit. Since most of the arrivals will take place on September 8 and delegates will depart to their respective countries on September 10-11, there will be a massive movement of traffic which needs to be curtailed to ensure safe passage for the delegates from the airport to hotels and to the other venues during the summit

As part of the preparations, the Delhi Traffic Police conducted a mock drill on major roads connecting Pragati Maidan – the main venue of the summit, with various hotels, to review restriction and diversion arrangements on Monday. The police are training their staff to handle chemical and biological weapons and focusing on their soft skills.

Nineteen “markswomen” of the Delhi Police, women commandos of its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit have undergone a four-week specialised training conducted by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at its training centre in Madhya Pradesh.
The Delhi Police have also procured special kinds of weapons, ammunition, bulletproof jackets, and X-ray machines.