City gears up for ‘Heart of Asia Conference’

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 28

Preparations are at full swing for the upcoming “Heart of Asia Conference” scheduled to be held in holy city on December 3. Besides delegates from foreign nations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistan foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz will also be participating the two-day conference.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal along with DGP Suresh Arora visited the city and held meeting with district administration and senior police officials yesterday.

Various city roads, especially the route from Sri Guru Ramdassjee International Airport to the Golden Temple, are being spruced up for the occasion. The civic authorities have uprooted ‘Kaner’ shrubs and small trees from road dividers and replaced these with ornamental palm trees. Roundabouts have also been decorated with ornamental plants and decorative lights. Electricity poles on the route are being painted.

An official of the district administration said there were clear directions from the Punjab government to make the event a success. There was absolutely no place for any negligence, he added.

He said, “Routes from which delegates will pass have been given a facelift. Roads have been re-laid. Deputy Chief Minister is personally supervising all arrangements and holding meetings with the administration along with senior officials from Chandigarh.”

Union Minister for State Harsimrat Kaur Badal also accompanied Junior Badal in the yesterday meeting. Besides, officials from the Ministry of External Affairs were also present during the meeting. The Deputy CM said no stone should be left unturned to provide world-class hospitality to visiting dignitaries.

This is for the first time that “Heart of Asia Conference” is being held in Amritsar. During the conference, major issues concerning Asian countries, including terrorism, will be discussed. The main focus of events during conference will be on the challenge of terrorism in heart of the Asia region, especially Afghanistan, steps to counter extremism, exploring cultural and civilization similarities, and co-operation in educational sector.

Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangements are being made at international airport where delegates will land for the conference. The inside premises of the airport will be secured by the Central Industrial Security Force while the Punjab police will stand guard outside.