Over 60 foreign delegates arrived here on Monday for the third meeting of the tourism working group of the G20 countries, according to the authorities.
After Article 370 was revoked and the former state was partitioned into Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in August 2019, this is the first international event to take place in Kashmir.
The delegates from various G20 member countries came on a rented aircraft at the Srinagar international airport in the morning, according to authorities, and there was tight security.
They said that when the attendees were being driven to the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), a sizable number of security personnel were stationed along the route.
The stretch has been given a facelift with G20 symbols painted on buildings and hoardings to welcome the delegates.
Officials claim that a number of security precautions have been taken to ensure that the event goes off without a hitch.
Despite the Boulevard Road being a no-go zone for the three days surrounding the SKICC, officials claim that there is a considerable deployment of security officers on the delegates' route as well as the Airport Road to Dalgate stretch.
They said that although security has been ramped up around the valley, the elite NSG and Marine Commandos have assisted police and paramilitary soldiers in guarding the event's grounds.
The venues, the route, and other vulnerable areas across the city have all seen “area domination” and sanitization training exercises. Scanners and sniffer dogs had been sent, according to the officials, to look for any explosives or IEDs.
Authorities claim that random inspections of moving cars in the city are conducted to ensure that no subversive elements are allowed to enter.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has recruited the Army to defend the top portions of the Zabarwan Range, which look out over the conference venue and guest accommodations.
30 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which had earlier left Jammu and Kashmir for electoral duty in the rest of the country, have now been returned to increase security in the valley.
The counter-drone division of the NSG has been engaged to ensure that there is no unexpected aerial intrusion.
According to the authorities, there are no limitations on how people or public transit may move throughout the city or beyond.
They said that all of the city's shops and businesses were open and that everything was “absolutely normal.”
The city of Srinagar has been spruced up for the three-day working group meeting on tourism that begins later today. A number of projects that were a part of Srinagar Smart City have been prioritized for completion, and the city has been decked for the international event.
