Ahmedabad, February 15: US President Donald Trump will be in Gujarat just for three hours on February 24 and this will cost the state exchequer whopping Rs 100 crore, it is learnt. According to a report by Times of India, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has instructed that budget should not be a constraint in according a red carpet welcome for Donald Trump. Since it will be Trump's first India visit as US President, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India will "accord a memorable welcome".

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) will jointly bear the expenses for revamping roads and decorating Ahmedabad city for Trump's visit. Of estimated Rs 100 crore, Rs 60 crore will be spent for resurfacing of 17 roads and laying a dedicated 1.5 km stretch for Trump to travel back to the airport after inaugurating the newly-constructed Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, TOI report stated. Donald Trump Looks Forward to India Visit, Tweets He Is 'Number 1' And PM Narendra Modi 'Number 2' on Facebook.

While total expenditure for Trump’s visit will be accounted after the event, a back of the envelope addition pegs the cost to be over Rs 100 crore. Government of India may bear some cost, but majority share will be borne by the state government," an official was quoted as saying. The civic body, in its annual budget, has sanctioned Rs 500 crore for resurfacing patches of roads across Ahmedabad. Of this, funds have been allotted to resurface roads on a war footing, an official said.

President Trump and PM Modi are scheduled to hold a roadshow from the Ahmedabad airport and visit Sabarmati Ashram to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Later, Trump will inaugurate the Sardar Patel Stadium where he will hold 'Kem Chho, Trump' event, the Gujarati equivalent of Modi's Huston event 'Howdy, Modi'.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 15, 2020 11:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).