New Delhi, February 9 The Public Works Department has intensified its beautification and infrastructure drive in Delhi, in preparation for the AI summit, officials said on Monday.
The international summit is scheduled from February 15 to 20, with Bharat Mandapam being the venue for the main inauguration summit on February 19, in addition to several bilateral meetings.
As part of the beautification and increasing greenery on roads and other areas, the PWD will procure plants, including flowering and non-flowering varieties, as well as a variety of shrubs, PWD officials said.
Tenders for these works have been issued, they added.
According to the plan, several species of plants, including Marigold jaffri orange/yellow, Cycas revoluta, Conocarpus, Areca palm, Araucaria cookie, etc., are being procured for Rs 28,54,283, they said.
Last month, the Delhi government had instructed the PWD and other civic bodies to ensure that arrangements for the international event would meet or exceed the standards set during the G20 Summit.
The action plan focuses on maintaining roads, including fixing missing signage, filling potholes, repairing grilles, removing defacement on PWD roads and footpaths, improving and repairing central verges, and removing dark spots.
Officials said that during the summit, various heads of state, foreign delegates, the leadership of prominent international organizations, and AI leaders, including CEOs of top AI companies, along with their families, are expected to visit Delhi.
"In addition to the horticultural work, the PWD will also be fixing broken retro-reflective signage boards and installing new ones wherever required at a cost of Rs 66,58,728, which will improve navigation on roads for the public," another official added.
The PWD, which is the main road-owning agency in the national capital, has been given the areas around Bharat Mandapam, Hyderabad House, Vigyan Bhawan, Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, all major five-star hotels, and the Rajghat area, where pre-event activities and bilateral engagements will be carried out, they said.
