US President Donald Trump is set to visit India with the first lady Melania Trump on February 24 and 25. Although he will be staying for only 36 hours, preparations are in full swing as India gears up to welcome the US President on his maiden trip to the country.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that it expects a large number of people to line-up along the route from Ahmedabad airport to Motera stadium, during the visit of US President Donald Trump next week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US President will address the ‘Namaste Trump’ event at the Motera Stadium on February 24. This event is being said to be along the same lines of the ‘Howdy Modi’ event which took place in Houston hosted by the Indian-American community last year.
In preparation of Trump’s visit, the Gujarat government and the Ahmedabad administration have stepped up the renovation and the beautification process in the city. The Gujarat government will spend around Rs 80-85 crore on the preparations for the upcoming visit of US President Donald Trump.
So far, the Gujarat state authorities have spent around Rs 30 crore on improving road infrastructure and the cricket stadium, city’s top civic official Vijay Nehra said.
“Eighteen roads of about 20 kilometres (12 miles) in length from Ahmedabad Airport to Montera Stadium have been widened or re-laid,” Nehra said. Ashok Brahmbhatt, secretary of Gujarat Cricket Association, which owns the Motera Stadium set to be opened by Trump, said it would also spend around Rs 1 crore during the event. Another Rs 6 crore will go on “beautification” of the city, said Nehra.
For the high-profile visit, more than 12,000 police officers will be deployed in the city. Gujarat has expedited the Swachhata drive, one of the flagship programs of the Modi-led government. Walls along the stretch from the airport to the venue have been painted with slogans and messages depicting Indo-US bonhomie.
The Motera Stadium, also known as Sardar Patel Stadium, expected to be the world’s largest cricket stadium, beating out Australia’s iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MGC) post-renovation, is being jazzed up to host the “Namaste Trump,” event.
Trump would reach Ahmedabad at noon on February 24. Here he will take part in the roadshow. 28 stages have been constructed for the entire roadshow. Following this, Trump would be accompanied by PM Modi to the Motera stadium, which would be inaugurated by the former, followed by the ‘Namaste Trump’ mega event.
Many prominent Gujarati singers like Parthiv Gohil, Purushottam Upadhyay, Kirtidan Gadhvi, Kinjal Dave, Sairam Dave & Bollywood singer Kailash Kher will perform at ‘Namaste Trump’ at Motera Stadium event on February 24, informed Dhanraj Nathwani, the Vice President of Gujarat Cricket Association.
Dhanraj Nathwani, Vice President of Gujarat Cricket Association: Prominent Gujarati singers like Parthiv Gohil, Purushottam Upadhyay, Kirtidan Gadhvi, Kinjal Dave, Sairam Dave & Bollywood singer Kailash Kher will perform at ‘Namaste Trump’ at Motera Stadium event on February 24. pic.twitter.com/dAV5rNy0HD
— ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2020
A practice pitch has been built near the main stadium. It is being believed that PM Modi and the US President might also try their hands on cricket during their visit to the Montera Cricket stadium.
The president and First Lady will later fly to Agra for an evening visit to Taj Mahal. On Tuesday morning, he will participate in an open-press welcome ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. He will also visit Mahatama Gandhi’s memorial Raj Ghat after the press conference. Later, he will head to Hyderabad House for bilateral meetings and lunch.
Trump will fly back to Washington DC on Tuesday at 10 pm.
A limited trade deal may be signed during the visit by President Trump.
As per reports, a $1.86 billion missile defence system deal is being worked upon, apart from a 2.6 Billion USD 24 MH-60 Seahawk helicopters made by Lockheed Martin is also on the cards.
