Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has given the green light to a proposition to designate September 8 to 10, 2023 as public holidays in Delhi. This decision comes in anticipation of the upcoming G20 Summit scheduled to take place in the national capital. During these dates, all educational institutions, government establishments, and Municipal Corporation of Delhi offices will remain closed.
On August 22, the Delhi Police formally requested Naresh Kumar, the Chief Secretary of Delhi, to consider declaring public holidays for the same dates. Furthermore, the police have sought the Chief Secretary’s intervention in mandating the closure of commercial and business establishments within ‘controlled zones’.
Having taken over the G20 presidency in December, India has been the host of a series of global leader meetings and discussions spanning 32 sectors across the nation, all conducted under the auspices of the G20 forum. The apex of these events will be marked by the gathering of heads of governments and states from member nations in New Delhi on September 9-10.
The implementation of specialised traffic arrangements, designed to facilitate a rehearsal of the summit’s motorcade, inadvertently led to traffic congestion in Central Delhi and the routes leading to Gurugram on the morning of August 21. The Delhi police noted that the traffic flow in areas surrounding Salimgarh Bypass, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Bhairon Marg, Mathura Road, C-Hexagon, Sardar Patel Marg, and Gurgaon Road is expected to be influenced by the special arrangements and restrictions put in place for the rehearsal.