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Updated: Oct 11, 2019 12:39 IST

The beach town of Mamallapuram where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Chinese president Xi Jinping on October 11 and 12 has become a fortress ahead of the informal talks between the two world leaders.

Over 5,000 policemen have been deployed across Mamallapuram and a Coast Guard ship has been deployed near the Shore Temple. Modi and Xi will attend a cultural programme near the temple which will be followed by dinner.

India and China formally announced the informal summit on Wednesday after weeks of speculations. There were some irritants ahead of the meet after China appeared to be backing Pakistan’s position after India removed the special status for Jammu and Kashmir.

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The first informal summit between Modi and Xi was held in Wuhan last year their first such meeting in Wuhan last year after the 73-day stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam in 2017.

Mamallapuram, a UNESCO heritage site, has already been declared out of bounds for tourists over the last few days.

Surfing and fishing along the Mamallapuram coast has been banned by the police before the summit this weekend.

The police have intensified patrolling and the town is under the close watch of 800-odd CCTV cameras. The entry points to Mamallapuram are being monitored 24x7.

Last week saw the monuments where PM Modi and Xi visit over the next two days being cleaned up. Barricades have been put up along the beach near the Shore Temple. The shops along the beach will remain shut this weekend.

Welcome messages have donned the town— the usual Tamil, English, and yes Chinese.

The Chennai airport has been decked up with flowers and banana leaves with flags of India and China erected outside the premises.

President Xi is expected to land at the Chennai airport on Friday afternoon. Authorities have barred all flights from the airport 10 minutes before and after the Chinese president’s plane makes a landing.