CHAOS AND TRAFFIC SNARLS
Gates‘ cancellation comes after the US Department of Justice released emails last month that included communication between late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the Gates Foundation’s staff.
Gates has said the relationship was confined to philanthropy-related discussions and that it was a mistake for him to meet Epstein.
The summit exhibition halls were shut to the public on Thursday in a surprise move that led to more anger among participating companies that had put up stalls and pavilions. The venue compound was largely deserted after three days of large crowds at the event.
Indian university Galgotias was asked to vacate its stall after a staff member presented a commercially available robotic dog made in China as its own creation, sparking a public uproar.
Police repeatedly shut roads to give preference to VIP movement at the summit, creating chaos in the city of 20 million people. The Indian government has apologised for inconvenience caused to attendees in the initial days.
But on Wednesday, footage on social media showed scores of attendees at the summit walking for miles in central Delhi as roads were shut, with no availability of taxis and no shuttle services arranged.
Opposition parties attacked the government and the prime minister for poorly managing the global summit.
“How can you expect your engineers, AI guys to walk such distances … And then we complain that entrepreneurs are leaving India,” said Pawan Khera, the Congress party spokesperson.
Still, there has been more than US$100 billion of investment in India AI projects pledged during the summit, including from the Adani Group conglomerate, tech giant Microsoft, and data centre firm Yotta.
The Indian government has said it expects total pledges to exceed $200 billion in the next two years, although analysts have warned the rapid build-out risks straining India’s power grid and water supply.
