All preparations have been completed and the area secured in Lumbini for visits by India Prime Minister Narednra Modi and Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, according to local officials. Additional security measures are also in place for the protection of the two leaders who are scheduled to visit Lumbini on the sidelines of the upcoming 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit, that starts in Kathmandu on November 25, 2014, local security officials say.  

Zonal Police Office Rupandehi head SSP Ganesh KC says protection details for the Modi and Rajapaksa is being conducted under a joint security plan comprising personnel from all four security bodies of the country.

"We have made readied all the measures prescribed by the plan. The joint security plan is overseen by officers from Nepal Army (NA), Nepal Armed Police Force (APF), Nepal Police and National Investigation Department. Special teams from NA and the police have been active in and around the Lumbini area for some time targeting the Modi and Rajapaksa," he said.

A few days ago the Indian Army's active General Jaswant Singh visited the area on an NA helicopter to review security arrangements for India Prime Minister Modi.

Similarly the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Nepal had led a special team to Lumbini to inquire about security and other programs for President Rajapaksa.

An NA team has been camped out in Lumbini for the last month ever since the Modi and Rajapaksa visits were confirmed.

According to Lumbini Development Fund Vice-president Karma Syangbo Sherpa, Rajapaksa is scheduled to arrive in Lumbini on November 25, 2014, while Modi is expected on November 28.

Rajapaksa will be offering prayers at the Mayadevi Temple and inaugurate a nearby bridge built with Sri Lankan assistance, Sherpa says. He is also scheduled to inaugurate a new Sri Lankan restaurant in the area.

Meanwhile, after visiting the Mayadevi Temple, Prime Minister Modi will take part in a public felicitation ceremony where he is expected to announce projects being built with Indian government assistance. Modi is also to plant a poplar sapling in Lumbini, Sherpa says.

Sherpa adds that the fund has been building parking areas and a helipad keeping in mind the number of high-level officials and VIPs expected to visit the area during the summit.
(Nepal News)