With less than a week left for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), the information technology hub of 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-laid with municipal workers filling up potholes and covering the open manholes.
The city authorities have also launched a drive against beggars. Over 200 beggars were shifted to shelter homes in two jails. Officials, however, said they were already working to make the city beggar-free and the drive was not related to Ivanka Trump’s visit.
A sprawling campus of 35 acres comprising the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) and the Hyderabad International Trade Expositions (Hitex), the venue of the three-day summit, is abuzz with activity as workers are racing against time.
Access to HICC has already been restricted with the security personnel setting up 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 a facelift for the prestigious event, which will see the participation of 1,500 delegates from around the world.
Ivanka, who is also an adviser to the White House, will be leading the US delegation. She along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session on November 28 evening. She will also speak at another session the next day.
While the 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 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 convention centre, that can hold up to 6,000 delegates, has hosted many global events since 2006. These include the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Asian Development Bank meeting, Global Investors Meet and 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 about 3km from Hyderabad Information Technology and Engineering Consultancy City, popularly known as Hitec City, the IT hub which houses several global tech giants.
Workers of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) were seen relaying a 1km road that leads to the venue from Hitec City road. Work was also on to relay footpaths, paint the kerbs and flyovers and beautification of medians.
Private security guards stand at the entrance of the Hyderabad International Convention Centre ahead of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Hyderabad.
