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.
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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.