India destroys Delhi slums ahead of G20 summit

DW (English)

India's government has gone to great lengths to beautify the capital Delhi ahead of the G20 summit. But it has come at a cost. Thousands of slum dwellers have been forcefully evicted, and their homes and shelters demolished. DW's Adil Bhat reports.

Transcript

00:00 Billboards, sidewalks and walls. It's hard to navigate the streets of New Delhi these

00:07 days without seeing the preparations for the upcoming summit.

00:12 The city is gearing up to welcome the G20 leaders.

00:17 In this popular Delhi neighbourhood, a group of artists are painting graffiti on the walls.

00:24 Several artists have been commissioned by the government to beautify the city ahead

00:30 of the summit. Chautanlal Meena is in charge here.

00:37 Artwork is a form of celebration and by doing this we are welcoming the members of the G20.

00:43 In showing India's beauty, we are putting on a great show of welcome.

00:49 Across the capital, some are busy planting trees and dressing the city in green, while

00:56 others are painting roads and flyovers. And all these roads lead us to one destination,

01:03 the main venue, Bharat Mandapam, where the summit will take place.

01:09 This is where the leaders will discuss pressing global issues.

01:15 But for many, this beautification has come at the cost of displacement and loss of livelihood.

01:23 Since the start of G20 preparations, thousands of houses and small shops have been demolished.

01:31 Biralal and his family are among those who have been made homeless by the beautification

01:37 drive. They now live under a flyover.

01:43 Since leaders of important countries are coming to the G20 summit, the government does not

01:48 want the slums and shanties to be visible. But then they should re-house us.

01:58 Today activist Sunil Kumar and his colleague are meeting the homeless to provide them with

02:03 legal assistance.

02:07 There's no one to listen to them or re-house them. Their homes were demolished straight

02:12 away. As an organisation, we want them to be given back homes, provided with concrete

02:18 brick houses, and to have the rights of their children and family members insured.

02:27 In some parts of the city, authorities have even covered slums with green curtains and

02:33 iron grills, in an attempt to hide the misery of the poor.

02:39 For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this G20 summit is an opportunity to raise India's

02:44 profile on the world stage and position it as an economic powerhouse. And the government

02:52 clearly thinks Delhi slums do not fit that profile.

02:57 While the summit may end up being a success, the cost for the cities poor has come at a

03:03 high price.

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