Ahead of Trump's visit: A city in India has built a wall around a slum
Residents of slums in Ahmedabad have discovered a half-mile-long brick wall, days before the U.S. president arrives.
Ahead of Trump's visit: A city in India has erected a wall around a slum
A half-mile-long brick wall was hastily erected in the state of Gujarat, India, for the visit of US President Donald Trump next week. According to local answers, the wall is designed to block a slum from which more than 2,000 people live.
"If they spend so much money on this wall, why not use it to improve our slums and provide us with better infrastructure?" Said Kashi Sarnia, one of the residents. "Why are they hiding us, the poor people?"
Trump will stop in the city of Ahmedabad during a two-day visit to India next week in honor of an event called "Namaste Trump" at Cricket Stadium, similar to a rally hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston last September. Trump is scheduled to travel on a road that runs near the slum accompanied by Moody, a Gujarat native.
Bajal Patel, a government official, said the wall was built "for security reasons" and not to hide the slum. "In addition, the wall is also part of a renovation and clean-up campaign," she said.
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Woman looking at wall with portraits of US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of Trump's February 18, 2020 visit (Photo: AP)
Several political leaders rushed to visit the construction of the wall, questioning Moody's development work in the country he headed for 12 years before becoming Prime Minister of India in May 2014. Authorities yesterday released eviction ads for 45 families living near the cricket stadiums in the Cricket Stadium area. Residents said they were asked to vacate because of the upcoming incident, but authorities have denied it.
"We've been living here for the last 20 years, and now we're suddenly being evicted because some important leader has been visiting this city for a day," said Sanjay Patani, one of the residents. "It's injustice."
Link Varna, a government official, said the area belonged to the civic body and the evictions were done by law. He did not say why the evacuation notices were sent just days before Trump's visit, which is itself working to build a wall on the border with Mexico. He will visit the state between 24 and 25 a month.
During the visit, Trump will try to quell talks with India on trade issues and he could court the votes of tens of thousands of voters of Indian descent ahead of the November presidential election. India has imposed tariffs on American products after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. As a result, the United States removed India from a list of trade benefits it had for decades.