Chandigarh set for Hollande visit today

Chandigarh is all set to welcome French President François Hollande on Sunday as he makes the city of roses his first stop in India before leaving for Delhi to be the chief guest at New Delhi’s Republic Day parade.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also arrive here to greet the French President. “Mr Modi and Hollande will meet at Rock Garden around 2.30 pm. The French President will begin his trip from Chandigarh. This will be a historic visit,” Union Territory (UT) administrator’s advisor Vijay Kumar Dev told the media here.

The two will meet at Rock Garden and will spend about 15 minutes there. Both the leaders will then head to the Capitol Complex nearby, which was designed by Chandigarh’s founder-architect, Frenchman Le Corbusier, in the 1950s. Both the leaders will then proceed to the Government Museum and Art Gallery complex here to see Corbusier’s vision for the city and rare artefacts.

Later, they will join CEOs from France and India at a summit at Hotel Taj here where at least 25 business heads will be present.

Tight security arrangements are being put into place with the two VVIPs arriving in the city at the same time. A full dress rehearsal of security arrangement and VVIP’s movement was held by security agencies, including the PM’s Special Protection Group (SPG), here.

The traffic police has put up barricades along the routes the French President and Mr Modi will be taking.