NEW DELHI: With less than a month left for the G20 summit in Delhi, works are going in full swing to ensure that the arrival of leaders and their delegation is seamless, safe, and on time.
“In order to make flight landings with dignitaries seamless, the flights carrying the leaders (which includes Prime Ministers, Presidents) would be allowed to land at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, on a first come first served basis. While additional aircraft, including stand-by aircraft, logistics flights, and flights with additional delegates and security staff can be diverted to other nearby airports,’’ according to a source.
Since the airport is located about 30 minutes from the meeting venue, delegates, and their teams have been advised to arrive in New Delhi latest by September 8th evening and stay until September 10th. Since some leaders will be coming in with their own security, there is an advisory that has been issued for those carrying weapons and communication equipment.
“No weapons will be allowed to be brought in by delegation members or accompanying security at any of the venues. Any communications equipment brought in by visiting delegations will be checked by the customs officials on arrival.
Details of any such equipment as well as request for usage of wireless communication equipment by security officers of the visiting dignitary and allotment of desired frequency will need to be shared with in advance,’’ the source added.
Dedicated lanes will be made at immigration counters to fast-track delegates. Only prescription drugs will be permitted and any currency above the $10000 limit will have to be declared to the customs. “Since most of the participants for the summit will be high-profile leaders we have ensured them and their missions that their personal information (that would be used for logistics) will be fully protected and will be accessible only to a limited number of personnel of the G20 Secretariat / Government of India.
At the conclusion of the Summit the personal data will be destroyed in a safe and secure manner,’’ the source added.
Meanwhile, since India has bilateral visa waiver agreements for holders of diplomatic/official passports with 19 G20 countries, the arrivals will be seamless. These countries include Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Oman, UAE, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Turkiye, and Spain. E-visas on gratis basis have been provided to registered members of the delegations.
