City abuzz on eve of G20 event

SHILLONG, April 16: The state capital is all set to host the precursor meeting of the Space Economy Leaders’ Meet (SELM) of the G20 Summit from Monday.
Hoardings on the event have been put up in strategic stretches and the police have been deployed in the Police Bazar area in large numbers. No entry signs have been placed on some roads in the vicinity of the Courtyard by Marriott while the road leading to the hotel has been cleared of garbage and sanitised.
Some traffic rules were tweaked for the smooth movement of the vehicles of the VIPs attending the G20 event.
The road to Polo, which is one-way from Oakland, was made ‘two-way’ for the delegates on Sunday. This ‘breaking of rule’ was not allowed for the city dwellers.
On the brighter side, the SELM made the state government repair several roads that had been untouched for months despite several pleas from the locals.
The internal roads unlikely to be used by the VIPs continue to be in a dilapidated condition.
Meanwhile, former Mawlai MLA, Process T. Sawkmie said an event of the scale of G20 would be beneficial for the state.
“Meghalaya is blessed to have been given the opportunity to organise the precursor meeting. It is a big event and the delegates from several countries will see our city,” he said.
He thanked the ISRO, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma for organising the prestigious event in Shillong.