Dubai: Thousands of Indian expatriates have registered for a public reception for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is visiting UAE on August 16, organisers said on Wednesday.
The reception will be held at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai Sports City on August 17.
The website, www.namoindubai.ae, registered 48,000 by Wednesday evening and organisers have made grand arrangements for the event, including an ambitious plan to air-condition the open air stadium as well as distribute free food and water to the audience.
Businessman B.R. Shetty, member of the organising committee, told Gulf News: “The very first day as soon as we opened the registration we received over 15,000 requests. The numbers swelled quickly and this afternoon we had 42,000 registrations completed successfully. We expect over 50,000 to register and our estimate on that day is an audience of 40,000 people, considering some of the registered people may not turn up. Although the stadium has an expanded capacity of 30,000 we will make sure to accommodate more by covering the ground.”
Meanwhile, the organisers have made elaborate arrangements to cool the stadium and the air-conditioning system will be switched on a day before to ensure the place is sufficiently cool on the day of the event. Dubai temperatures are as high as 42 degrees Celsius and the humidity is almost 60 per cent in the evening. “We do not want our people to sweat and face inconvenience in the heat and that is why we are making this elaborate arrangement with new technology to cool the stadium so that people can listen to their leader in peace,” added Shetty.
During the reception, the Indian Consulate has planned a cultural show to welcome Modi.
While the Indian Consulate is planning to distribute free water, the organisers are making arrangements to distribute light snacks to the attendees. Entry is on a first-come-first-served basis and people are advised to take their seats at least an hour in advance. Owing to the tight security arrangements, gates will be closed an hour before the event scheduled to begin at 6.30pm.
