Guwahati Transforms into Diplomatic Hub as City Prepares to Host First India-Japan Economic Summit

A CORRESPONDENT

AZARA: The Assam Government has intensified preparations at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport ahead of the proposed visit of the Prime Minister of Japan to Guwahati for the upcoming India-Japan economic summit scheduled to begin from July 1.

According to official sources, the Japanese Prime Minister is expected to arrive in India on a three-day visit and will stay in Guwahati throughout the summit period. Significantly, this will be the first time that the India-Japan Economic Summit will be hosted in Guwahati. The summit was earlier scheduled to be held in January 2020, but was cancelled due to the law-and-order situation arising out of the anti-CAA protests in Assam at that time.

With barely 13 days left for the summit, both the Central and State Governments have stepped up preparations to ensure the successful conduct of the high-profile international event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also personally monitoring the arrangements and has reportedly provided several suggestions and guidelines to Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma regarding the summit.

Acting on the directives of the chief minister, several departments of the Assam Government have already begun beautification and infrastructure enhancement works across Guwahati city. From the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport to Khanapara, various stretches of the city are being renovated and decorated ahead of the summit.

As delegates from both India and Japan, including the Japanese Prime Minister, are expected to arrive through the Guwahati airport, special emphasis is being laid on ensuring world-class arrangements at the airport premises so that the visiting dignitaries receive a positive impression of Assam.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has personally visited the airport on multiple occasions in recent days to review the preparedness for the proposed visit. During the inspection visits, the CM reviewed airport infrastructure, security arrangements, hospitality measures, and other logistical preparations to ensure that there are no shortcomings in hosting the foreign dignitaries and the accompanying high-level delegations.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to arrive in Guwahati on June 30, a day ahead of the summit. Several union ministers and senior officials from different departments of the Central Government are also likely to attend the event, turning Guwahati into the country's administrative focal point for nearly four days.

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