The red carpet outside the main building and the labyrinth will be replaced with new ones 10 days before the G20 event…reports Asian Lite News
The iconic Bada Imambara in Lucknow is set to get a facelift ahead of the G20 meet scheduled to be held in the city next month.
Renovation works will include painting of the premises, landscaping of lawns, beautification of the monument with colourful flowers, levelling and stone polishing.
The red carpet outside the main building and the labyrinth will be replaced with new ones 10 days before the G20 event.
Divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob, who carried out an inspection of the monument, along with the officials of the district administration, LMC and LDA, has issued necessary instructions to the officials concerned.
The divisional commissioner found that the stairs were in a bad shape and needed polish and repair. She asked the ASI officials to change the red carpet and mat before the G20 event.
She asked the officials to maintain cleanliness on the premises of the monument that houses 18th century Asafi mosque which is revered as one of the oldest ‘ibadatgah’ of Lucknow.
She said that the structure of shoe collection centre should be changed and boards and signages depicting the history, map and heritage be put up to facilitate visitors.
She directed the LDA officials to complete the work of facade light within 15 days. She also asked the officials to change canopies at Amanati Ghar and rebrand shops on the premises.
District Magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar said that the maintenance and polishing work of the mosque would be carried out by ASI while Husainabad Trust, the caretaker body of the monument, would look after the painting work. He said the number of chairs would also be increased.
Meanwhile, the route from Imambara to Hazratganj, Taj Hotel, Bandha Road to Shaheed Path will also get a facelift.
Besides, polishing of the footpath, cutting of bushes on the roadside, work of pole painting, maintenance of streetlights, arrangements for railings, and cleanliness outside parks falling on the route will be ensured.
G20 delegates join folk dancers in Maharashtra
Delegates who arrived in India for the G20 (Group of Twenty Summit) were seen performing traditional lezim dance with local artists at a cultural program in Pune on Monday.
In a video shared by news agency ANI on Twitter, several delegates are seen matching steps with the dancers and grooving as the thumping beats of dhols can be heard at the event. We can also see a number of people dressed in traditional Maharashtrian attire to welcome the guests.
In December, several G20 delegates joined local traditional dancers at Girgaon Chowpatty when they were on their way to Colaba, Mumbai. They too were given the same welcome with the sound of drums and Koli and Lavani songs. The envoys were seen enjoying and grooving to the music.
India assumed the G20 presidency from Indonesia on December 1, 2022. As part of the summit, the country will host more than 200 meetings across over 50 cities. The theme of the G20 summit is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or “One Earth. One Family. One Future.”
The first meeting of the G20 Development Working Group (DWG) was held from December 13 to December 16 in Mumbai.
The delegates went to the Kanheri Caves in Mumbai for an excursion in December and also attended a light and sound show at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata this month.
“A glimpse into India’s history! G20 delegates enjoyed a spectacular light & sound show on India’s struggle against colonialism and contribution of Indian heroes to the independence movement,” a post by the official Twitter handle of G20 India read.
Kolkata hosted the first meeting for the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) from January 9 to January 11. The meeting was conducted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Ministry of Finance.