For Donald Trump's 3-Hour Ahmedabad Visit, Gujarat Will Be Spending A Whopping Rs 80 Crore!

The United States President, Donald Trump, will inaugurate the world¡¯s largest cricket stadium when he arrives in Ahmedabad, the home base of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

Reuters

The most mind-boggling part of President Trump's visit to India is that government is all set to spend around ?80 crore-85 crore ($11-12 million) on preparations for the visit by the American president that is likely to last around three hours, reports Reuters.

The sum is equivalent to about 1.5% of the annual budget for the home ministry in Gujarat.

Security-related costs, with more than 12,000 police officers expected to be deployed, will account for almost half the expense, said the officials, who declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak publicly about the visit.

Reuters

Ahmedabad municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra, the city's top civic official, told Reuters that authorities had already spent around 300 million rupees ($4.2 million) on widening roads and improving infrastructure around the new cricket stadium.

"Eighteen roads of about 20 kilometers (12 miles) in length from Ahmedabad Airport to Motera Stadium have been widened or re-laid," Nehra said, adding that the improvements had been planned before Trump's visit was confirmed.

Reuters

Australia¡¯s Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is currently known as the world¡¯s largest stadium, has a seating capacity of 1,00,028.

The Motera Cricket Stadium, which has been constructed at a cost of Rs 700 crore, will have a parking capacity for 3,000 cars, 10,000 two-wheelers and a steating capacity of more than 1,10,000.

Inside view ????#MoteraStadium #KemChhoTrump pic.twitter.com/xrHpL1I9Pb

¡ª RAHUL (@SirKLRahul) February 18, 2020

It will also feature a clubhouse with 55 rooms, a large swimming pool, gymnasium, party area and a 3D projector theatre room.

The stadium will also have a cricket academy, indoor practice pitches, top quality food courts and facilities for playing other sports.

#MoteraStadium
Ahmedabad, India ??
Seating capacity of more than 1,10,000
World's largest #Cricket stadium pic.twitter.com/FKUhhS0HK5

¡ª BCCI (@BCCI) February 18, 2020

The spectacle which was first called ¡°Kem chho Trump¡±, (or Howdy! Trump) is now simply called ¡®Namaste Trump¡¯. The name change for the mega event in the newly-built Motera Stadium, world¡¯s largest cricket stadium, in Ahmedabad, according to political watchers is intended to give it a pan India flavour with ¡®Namaste¡¯ - the universally recognized Indian form of greeting.

Trump along with the First Lady are scheduled to visit Ahmedabad and New Delhi on February 24 and 25, according to a White House announcement early this week. This would be president's first bilateral visit in the third decade of 21st century and also the first after his acquittal by the Senate in the impeachment trial.

ALL INPUTS REUTERS