G20 meeting: City spruced up to welcome delegates

PATNA: Altogether 150 delegates from across the globe will take part in the two-day G20 meeting of the Labour Engagement Group on June 22 and 23 at Gyan Bhawan in the city.
The delegates will arrive in Patna on June 21 and will be staying at three of the plush hotels.
The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started sprucing up roads and beautifying the city. A PMC official said all the major and link roads, especially the areas around Gandhi Maidan, and the main venue of the event are cleaned up and beautified.
“Roads connecting the airport, flyovers and prime locations are on the list. Apart from cleaning and sweeping of the roads, the drive includes removal of encroachment, surfacing uneven portions and bad patches, colouring pavements, painting traffic signage and dividers,” the official said.
The session on the first day will start with a reception ceremony at Patna airport. It will be followed by a guided tour to the Bihar Museum and a high-tea at Samrat Ashoka Convention Centre. They will also have a welcome dinner at the city hotel later in the evening.
PMC’s additional municipal commissioner Sheila Irani said the corporation is always ready to welcome any VIP or VVIP guests, regardless of the occasion.
“The corporation is engaged in sanitation drive throughout the year. The PMC team keeps running anti-encroachment drives on regular intervals. The roads are sprinkled with water to settle down the dust. No such area-specific preparation is being done, but the entire municipal area is being well groomed,” she said.
The walls of the city, including the VIP areas have been beautified with Madhubani paintings including the walls of Patna airport, zoo, secretariat and other places on Bailey Road. “The corporation is engaged in sanitation and facelift of the city 24/7, but now it is being done extensively in view of the G20 Summit,” Irani added.