Dubai: It’s now official. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the UAE has ben confirmed by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs,
A brief statement posted on the ministry’s website on Tuesday said: “At the invitation of His Highness General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to UAE on August 16-17, 2015.”
“The Prime Minister will also meet with His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai during the visit,” it added.
The Ambassador of India to the UAE T.P. Seetharam told Gulf News: “We are delighted that Prime Minister Modi has decided to come to the UAE. In fact, we have been preparing for this visit for a very long time. We really hope that this historic visit will transform the already strong ties between India and the UAE into a stronger bond and take it to the next level.”
Despite the short notice, Modi can expect a rock star-like reception at the public event being organised on August 17 at the Dubai International Stadium (DIS) in the Dubai Sprots City (DSC).
The DSC staff is working round-the-clock to handle the logistics and orchestrate the variables to make the event a success. The stadium’s central ground, dubbed the ‘Ring of Fire’ because of the 350 special floodlights that are fixed around the circumference and light up the centre in a series that does not allow a single shadow, is the place from where Modi will address the 30,000-strong Indian expat crowd.
Dorothee Petz, Event Manager of DSC, told Gulf News of the logistical arrangements being made. “The stadium has a seating capacity of 25,000. However, we lose seats in grandstands for security reasons and camera angles, hence the seated capacity will be 20,000. We are covering the centre area on the pitch with event tiling to have another 10,000 seats in theatre style. Capacity at the venue will be for 30,000 people on that day. There will be an area for public viewing outside the stadium for people who do not have registrations.”
The stadium will have 10,000 chairs placed theatre style to accommodate the additional seating for that day.
While Indian Consul General Anurag Bhushan has made arrangements for free water to the guests, food and other beverages will be available on purchase at the venue at concessional rates.
Petz also said that requests had been made to the Civil Defence and the Indian Consulate to arrange for ambulance services on site. Over 300 security personnel, volunteers from the Indian Consulate as well as the Dubai Police will help maintain law and order.
“This will be in addition to the full support from our staff that will include members of the events, marketing, security, turf and facilities management teams who are already on site to work closely with the Indian mission volunteers,” added Petz.
Special arrangements for traffic and public transport have been made by the Indian Consulate in association with the Roads and Transport Authority to manage the guest transportation and there will be specific pick up points for public transport that will be announced soon.
Khalid Al Zarouni, President of Dubai Sports City, told Gulf News: “We are very well equipped to support very large events and the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be an exceptional opportunity for the Indian community to see him. We are working very hard with our events staff, local authorities and security to make sure the visit of Modi becomes a memorable and enjoyable experience for everybody who will be making their way to Dubai International Stadium at Dubai Sports City on that day.”
Meanwhile, in addition to his official engagements, Modi is expected to visit a labour accommodation and attend a public reception hosted by members of the Indian community at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on August 17.
The reception is expected to be similar to community events Modi addressed in the US, Canada, Australia and other countries he has visited after being elected to office in May last year.
An official organising committee called Namo in Dubai has been set up to make arrangements and has launched a website, www.namoindubai.ae, to invite online registration for attending the event.
