GES: IT employees in Hyderabad told to work from home

Hyderabad: Some of the IT firms located at Madhapur here have asked their employees to work from home today and for the next two days keeping in view restrictions put in place for the global summit being attended by US President Donald Trump’s daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump.

The Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), being attended by over 1,500 delegates, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi this evening. As part of security arrangements for the high-profile event, restrictions have been put in place with regard to movement of people and vehicular traffic in and around the venue, the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), at Madhapur, which is an IT hub.

“We were asked to work from home if we are unable to come to office today and tomorrow,” an employee working for a multinational consulting and auditing firm told PTI. The entire city is under a thick security blanket in view of the visit of Ivanka Trump and a number of VVIPs for the three-day summit, being held in India for the first time.

Trump along with a business delegation from her country landed at the Shamshabad airport in the wee hours today. A senior police official said as many as 10,000 security personnel have been deployed to keep vigil for the next three days. When contacted, Ranga Pothula, president of the Hyderabad Software Exporters Association (Hysea) said some of the companies in Madhapur have issued advisories to their employees allowing them to work from home.

“There are heavy VIP movements involving security issues. There are traffic restrictions around some of the places. So some of the firms have issued advisories to their employees asking them work from home if they feel that they cannot come to office,” Pothula said.

A senior police official said there would be traffic restrictions around Falaknuma Palace Hotel in old city area where the prime minister and Ivanka Trump along with top industrialists and dignitaries are expected to visit for dinner tonight.