Heritage walk, Mahabaleshwar visit on G-20 delegates’ itinerary

“The official meeting would be taking place as per the schedule, but there is also a demand from delegates for experience of the culture and heritage of Maharashtra and city. Thus, we have proposed three options of a heritage walk, tour of the town and an excursion to Mahabaleshwar,” said Solomon Arokiaraj, joint secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the run up to G-20 meet of Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) which would be held in the city on January 16-17.

The joint secretary said that there were plans of excursion but most demands from delegates is for a heritage tour of the city and three options are provided for delegates. “So far, we have got registration of 66 delegates from member countries and invited countries s well as representatives of World Bank and other financial institutes,” he said.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been entrusted with the responsibility of a heritage walk for delegates. “The heritage walk will begin from Shaniwarwada at 7 am on January 18 and then cover Lal Mahal, Dagdusheth Ganpati temple and Nana wada,” said a PMC official.

The final itinerary has not been provided but the tour is likely to be of two hours and the PMC is planning certain things for delegates during the heritage tour, provided it is approved by the Union government, he said.

“We want to showcase the culture and heritage of Maharashtra and Pune. After the workshop on January 18, we were given an optional excursion of Pune heritage walk, Pune city tour and optional excursion to Mahabaleshwar.”

A grand dinner has also been planned for delegates along with a cultural programme mainly showcasing folk culture of Maharashtra on Pune university campus.