The normally bustling streets of Delhi have gone silent as the G20 begins.Credit:Getty
New Delhi has gone into a three-day public holiday during the summit,with locals who live outside the downtown area banned from entering the zone unless they have a special pass. The restrictions span a 25-kilometre radius in the heart of Delhi,a metropolis of 30 million people.
The normally vibrant area is almost entirely deserted,with the fortress-like atmosphere bringing back memories of COVID-19 lockdowns. Cafes,handicraft stores and biryani houses that could be packed with visitors are shut. The streets are largely empty except for armed police,a few passersby,stray dogs and the occasional monkey.
The silence would be strange in any country,but in India,which draws its energy from its cacophony of smells,horns and people,it’s downright bizarre. Delhi police say the restrictions are necessary to stop flash protests from minority groups.
More than 50,000 police officers are now on guard,including in plain clothes at hotels to avoid giving the impression of heavy security.
Posters and billboards promoting the summit are plastered everywhere you look,with many featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face and the event’s slogan “One Earth,One Family,One Future”.
Modi has relentlessly emphasised the summit’s importance for India’sreputation as a rising superpower,telling Indians last month:“We need to show the world that Delhi can handle this responsibility without any glitches.”