Merz visit Sabarmati Ashram in the morning. (Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to arrive in Ahmedabad on Monday on a two-day official visit to India, during which he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting.
The German Chancellor is also expected to spend a night in Ahmedabad before he flies to Bengaluru on Tuesday morning. This is the first official visit of the German Chancellor to India and his first bilateral visit outside of the European Union and NATO countries.
According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, Merz is expected to arrive at Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport in Ahmedabad in the early hours of Monday.
He is scheduled to visit Sabarmati Ashram in the morning. Later, the German Chancellor is expected to participate in the International Kite Festival at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad along with PM Modi.
The German Chancellor will then proceed to Gandhinagar where he is scheduled to hold a meeting with PM Modi at Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre. The high level meeting is expected to be followed by press statements by the two leaders.
Merz is then likely to visit Adalaj Stepwell and then attend a Skill Development event at House of MG in Ahmedabad. From Ahmedabad, the German Chancellor is scheduled to fly to Bengaluru on Tuesday morning.
Traffic regulation
In view of the scheduled visit of PM Modi and Chancellor Merz to the International Kite Festival, the Ahmedabad city police have prohibited all vehicular traffic on the Sabarmati riverfront from the cut near Vadaj Crematorium to Ambedkar Bridge between 7 am and 12 noon on Monday.
As an alternative, one can take the route from the cut near Vadaj Crematorium to Vadaj Circle, Usmanpura circle, Bata Showroom, Delite cross roads, Town Hall cross roads and Paldi.
The Ahmedabad Police Commissioner has issued a notification in this regard. The prohibitory order will not be applicable to official vehicles involved in the management of the programme, fire brigade and ambulances.
East-West line metro services to be affected from 9.45 am to 11 am
Ahmedabad Metro Rail services on the East-West line will not be operational between Shahpur to Old High Court from 09:45 am to 11:00 am owing to the inaugural function of the International Kite Festival at Sabarmati Riverfront. The Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) stated that during this time, metro trains on East-West line (Vastral Gam to Thaltej Gam) will be available between Vastral Gam Metro Station to Shahpur Metro Station and Old High Court Interchange to Thaltej Gam Metro Station. On the North-South line (APMC to Motera Stadium and Gandhinagar), trains will be working as per schedule.