NEW DELHI: As India’s capital readies itself to host the annual G20 Summit, a sweeping beautification project was launched in New Delhi. However, behind this façade of cleanliness and orderliness lies the displacement of the city’s poorest residents, whose homes have been bulldozed to hide India’s real face and make way for the global event.
The G20 summit in New Delhi is the largest gathering of world leaders ever held in the city, with attendees including President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and other influential figures. New Delhi is determined to present itself in the best possible light, with freshly painted streets adorned with flowers that adorn its pavements.
However, this impressive transformation comes at a steep cost to the city’s most vulnerable inhabitants. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been forcibly displaced, and slums have been demolished or concealed behind temporary fences bearing the G20 summit’s logo and images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Indian government’s hope is that this beautification project will demonstrate the nation’s best attributes and solidify its position on the global stage. Consequently, any disruptions to this effort are met with stern resistance.
“We have to look out for any seditious signs or postings. There is a lot of stress due to the summit; we have to fulfill the responsibility,” remarked Nitish Kumar, a paramilitary police constable deployed in New Delhi to maintain security.
Beautification at the Cost of Poor in India’s Capital
In addition to the increased security presence, the New Delhi Municipal Council has dispatched over 3,000 staff members to participate in the capital’s extensive facelift and to maintain its pristine appearance during the summit.
Ensuring the streets remain spotless is a challenging endeavor. Nand Kishor, responsible for a quarter-mile stretch of a four-lane road, works tirelessly to keep it clean while wearing a T-shirt adorned with the summit’s logo.
“We’ve been given instructions to do our best work as the summit is going on. Everything should remain clean. But how much can I clean alone?” Kishor lamented.
However, amid this grandeur, two common sights in New Delhi – rhesus monkeys and stray dogs – have been hidden from view as much as possible.
To deter rhesus monkeys, known for their nuisance behavior and occasional aggression, life-size cutouts of langurs, a larger primate intimidating to rhesus monkeys, have been placed in public areas. Additionally, individuals have been deployed to mimic the sounds of langurs to further convince the rhesus monkeys that the cardboard animals are real.
Approximately 1,000 stray dogs have been removed from the streets, a move that has drawn accusations of cruelty from animal rights activists.
Activist Ambika Shukla expressed concern, stating, “They have not made any arrangements for them. These dogs are traumatized, confused, and some of them are even injured.”
This makeover extends to the city’s residents as well. Almost 300,000 street vendors and other marginalized groups have been displaced from neighborhoods visited by diplomats, and several areas have been flattened.
Amit, whose home was razed along with nearly 125 other families in South Delhi’s Subhash camp, lamented the abrupt displacement. “They didn’t even let us grab our belongings and started beating us before we could even finish,” he said.
