New Delhi, Sep 11 (EFE).- The Indian capital on Monday returned to its chaotic normal appearance with street vendors occupying its main streets and vehicles honking in traffic, after three days of strict traffic restrictions as the city was given a makeover for the G20 summit.
New Delhi woke up with the barricades moved to one side of the roads as traffic and people were allowed to move freely, after a very unusual weekend during which the normally bustling streets were empty of people and vehicles, except the occasional cavalcade of leaders or officials.
On Monday, offices, parks, businesses and restaurants were reopened, while hawkers were also able to sell their wares in areas that had been cordoned off for the summit, a rare measure only enforced during the pandemic earlier, when India had imposed a strict lockdown.
Routine activity in the city had been suspended on Friday, as leaders of the G20 countries began to arrive, with only accredited people and vehicles being allowed in the central part of the city.
The preparations for the summit resulted in the authorities relocating thousands of homeless people to the outskirts of the city.
In an attempt to offer a clean and organized image of New Delhi to world leaders, authorities erected massive screens to hide underprivileged neighborhoods and warned their residents to not come out of the area.
As the people resumed their lives on Monday and streets returned to normal, countless posters and billboards carrying the face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decorations, special lighting and the tarpaulin screens hiding the slums have remained in place in the city.
The G20 summit ended on Sunday with India handing over the bloc’s rotating presidency to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will host the next meeting of the world’s largest economies in Brasilia in November 2023.
New Delhi was satisfied with the summit’s outcome after member nations were unexpectedly able to reach a joint agreement despite serious differences over the Ukraine conflict.
There had been fears that the summit could become the first G20 meet to end without a consensus since the first event, organized by the United States in 2008. EFE
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