Hyderabad: During her visit to Hyderabad to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) later this month US President Donald Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivana Trump will experience the best of the Deccani hospitality, the colourful and diverse culture and the rich heritage.
Ivanka, who along with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inaugural session of the summit on November 28 will attend a banquet next day at the historic Golkonda Fort.
With the Telangana Chief Minister deciding to host a grand gala cultural program and dinner for all the delegates of the GES at the Golkonda Fort, a team of officials from the Hyderabad City Police, traffic police, departments of tourism and transport visited the venue and assessed the available facilities.
The team headed by the deputy commissioner of police A Venkateshwara Rao and deputy commissioner of police (Trffic) AV Ranganath held a two hour long meeting at the Fort and finalised the arrangements.
On November 28 Ivanka will attend a dinner at another magnificent historic landmark of the city — the Falaknuma Palace, which is now a five-star hotel Taj Falaknuma. The dinner at Falaknuma will be hosted by the Prime Miniser Narendra Modi in honour of Ivanka Trump.
Security arrangements were being tightened around both the venues. While the Golkonda Fort will be closed two days ahead of the dinner, police has started going through areas in close vicinity of the Taj Falaknuma Hotel and has instructed people that except for locals, no one should stay in the area. The people have also been asked to watch out for any suspicious movement by outsiders.
Meanwhile, the US security service personnel will arrive in the city of Monday to assess security arrangements and preparations for the summit. The US personnel will go around the GES venue at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Falaknuma Palace and the Golkonda Fort and only after their green signal, her programme will be finalised.
Police sources said the question of who can keep firearms inside the venue has become a point of contention between authorities in India and the United States, the joint hosts of the event. While the American officials were insisting that nobody other than US security services personnel can keep firearms at the venue of the programme, the Special Protection Group (SPG) officials have made it clear that they were duty-bound to keep firearms as part of their responsibility to protect the Prime Minister. The issue was likely to be resolved during the visit of the US officials next week.
Meanwhile, work was progressing briskly to beautify roads and pavements in Hyderabad, especially on the routes to be taken by the delegates of the GES in the Hitech City and other areas. The road to Falaknuma and Golkonda Road is also being recarpeted to remove potholes.
Historic Charminar, the symbol of Hyderabad and surrounding areas was also getting a facelift as many delegates were likely to visit the 16th Century monument of the Qutub Shahi era. The long-pending pedestrianisation of areas around Charminar has picked up pace and a fresh stone pavement was being built. The four arches on the road leading to Charminar were also being given a facelift.
