A 500m brick wall has been hastily erected in India’s Gujarat state ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump, with critics saying it was built to block the view of a slum inhabited by more than 2,000 people.
“Since they are spending so much money on this wall, why not use that to improve our slum and provide better facilities for us,” said Keshi Saraniya, a resident. “Why are they hiding us poor people?”
Trump is visiting the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat during a two-day trip to India next week to attend an event at a cricket stadium called “Namaste Trump,” which translates to “Greetings, Trump.” It is along the lines of the “Howdy Modi” rally attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston, Texas, in September last year.
Trump is to drive along a road next to the slum and is to be accompanied by Modi, who is from Gujarat.
News reports said that the wall was originally planned to be 1.8m to 2.1m high, but was reduced to 1.2m after it received widespread publicity.
Ahmedabad Mayor Bijal Patel said that the wall was built “for security reasons” and not to conceal the slum, adding: “Apart from security reasons, the wall is also part of a beautification and cleanliness drive.”
Several political leaders were quick to criticize the wall’s construction, questioning Modi’s development work in his own state.
Modi was chief minister of Gujarat for 12 years before becoming prime minister in May 2014.
Authorities on Monday also served eviction notices to 45 families living in another slum area near the cricket stadium.
The residents said they were asked to leave because of the upcoming event.
“We have been living here for the last 20 years and now we are suddenly being told to vacate because some important leader is visiting this city for a day. This is injustice,” said Sanjay Patani, a resident.
The land belongs to a civic body and evictions were done under the law, government official Kishore Varna said.
He did not say why the eviction notices were sent just days ahead of Trump’s visit.
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