'Hiding Poverty': Ahead of G20 Summit, Green Sheets Keep Delhi Slums Under Wraps

With Delhi's beautification drive ahead of G20 Summit in full swing, slums are being hidden behind green sheets.

Preparations for the forthcoming G20 Summit 2023 are in full throttle in New Delhi. Scheduled to take place on 9-10 September, this high-profile event has prompted significant transformations across the city.

(Photo: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)

Video Editor: Prajjwal Kumar

Preparations for the forthcoming G20 Summit 2023 are in full throttle in New Delhi. Scheduled to take place on 9-10 September in the national capital, this high-profile event has prompted significant transformations across the city, as Delhi gears up to host numerous heads of states. But at what cost?

The Central government has initiated an ambitious beautification project in Delhi, involving the refurbishment of roads, the construction of underpasses, and the creation of murals. All of this has led to displacement of Delhi's slum-dwellers, as well as the areas they live in being covered with plastic sheets and flex boards.

Surat and Deepak sell handkerchiefs under Moolchand flyover in Lajpat Nagar. Surat told The Quint, "People living under the flyover have been asked to leave for security reasons just before G20. A lot of people had come to Delhi from Rajasthan." The two boys said that they would also have to leave for Alipur, their native village.

Mamta and her family of three live under the Moolchand flyover. Nowhere to go, they rely on whatever little they get through begging, from motorists commuting through the area. "Close to 15 days ago, authorities came and asked our entire community, who lived under the flyover, to vacate the area because of the G20 Summit," they told The Quint. The group travelled back to their native village in Rajasthan.

Local shopkeepers and kirana store owners in Delhi's Coolie Camp, which is on the travel route of G20 leaders, also found their shops covered by similar green sheets one fine day. Shankar Lal, a resident of Coolie Camp for over 50 years, told The Quint that "authorities visited the area less than a week ago and covered all the slums and shops with green sheets." 

However, for vendors like Sunita and Munna Lal, the green sheet covers mean that their small kirana shop loses all visibility to passersby, affecting their main source of income. Speaking to The Quint, Munna Lal said, "The poor Indians are being shoved away and hidden because foreigners are coming to India for G20."

Since the beginning of the year, a number of residential houses and roadside stalls have also been razed to the ground, resulting in the displacement of thousands of individuals.

But this phenomenon is not exclusive to Delhi. A similar approach was applied during a G20 working meeting in Vishakhapatnam's ASR Nagar, where, as G20 delegates deliberated the importance of inclusive urban spaces, Chenchu tribal families were hidden behind similar green sheets. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for India at the G20 is one of a modern superpower, a prominent leader of the Global South, and a vocal advocate for impoverished nations. However, critics argue that the government has come under scrutiny for concealing one of the nation's most deeply rooted and persistent issues.

Social activist Harsh Mander, during a public hearing in May against evictions during G20, said, "What strikes me most is that India, represented by its state, appears to be embarrassed by apparent poverty. It seems to strive to keep poverty out of sight from the visiting dignitaries."

Senior journalist Pamela Philipose also spoke at the public hearing and said, "When you put up these curtains to hide the poor, you are also preventing access of ordinary people to their livelihoods."