[1]NEW DELHI : The capital will turn into a virtual fortress for US President Barack Obama’s visit this weekend with heightened security measures including an extended no-fly zone to protect the world’s most powerful leader.
Air Force One will touch down at about 10 am on Sunday at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The President will be received by Piyush Goyal, designated as the Minister-in-Waiting for President Obama’s trip.
POTUS will then use his armored limousine, known as the Beast, and drive to Rashtrapati Bhawan . He is likely to briefly travel on the Gurgaon-Delhi highway, cross the usually busy intersection at Dhaula Kuan, move along Sardar Patel Marg , passing the Maurya Sheraton hotel where he will stay.
At Rashtrapati Bhawan, he will meet President Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime Minister along with others leaders and then move in the Beast to Rajghat to the Mahatma Gandhi memorial.
Next will be bilateral talks at Hyderabad House, including a working lunch hosted by PM Modi.
The long day will culminate in a banquet thrown in President Obama’s honour at Rashtrapati Bhawan.The PM, President Obama and other dignitaries from the world’s two largest democracies will attend the Republic Day celebrations on Monday, January 26, which include a massive military parade.
Security agencies previously enforced a no-fly zone with a radius of 300 km, but it will be extended to 400 km this year, covering cities such as Jaipur in the west, and Agra, and extending to the border with Pakistan.
While a no-fly zone bars commercial flights during the two-hour procession, the programme wraps up with a fly-past by military planes.On-the-ground security has been beefed up, with extra police patrols and checks at metro stations. Snipers will be deployed at more than 70 high-rise buildings around central Delhi, the security official said.
Then they will head to Rashtrapati Bhawan for the “at-home” reception that is an annual event. Later, they will address a business event in the evening, hosted by the US-India Business Council.
On the 27th, President Obama will record a joint radio address with the PM before flying on Air Force One to Agra. He will tour the Taj Mahal with his wife, Michelle. They fly out of Delhi that evening.
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