Ahmedabad Slum Residents Decry Eviction Order Ahead of Trump Visit

Residents in Ahmedabad’s Motera Basti refused to leave after being served eviction notices ahead of Trump’s visit

Families living in Ahmedabad’s Motera basti have refused to leave their homes after they were served eviction notices just days before US President Donald Trump’s India visit.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma

Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to India, families living in Ahmedabad’s Motera basti have been asked by municipal authorities to vacate their homes.

According to the residents, including pregnant women, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) served eviction notices to the slum dwellers, informing them that they need to “vacate the area immediately.”

About 45 families live in the slum cluster near the newly built Motera stadium where preparation to host the US President are in full swing.

Residents of Motera Basti show the evictions notices served to them. (Photo: The Quint)

Teja, a resident of the area for the last ten years, said that AMC officials who served the notice, asked them to vacate as soon as possible. He is among the many residents who are protesting the eviction notice.

“They first came in January with a bulldozer and destroyed our houses”, he added.

“They came on 16 February and noted our names and left, later they returned on the 17 February with a notice and ordered us to leave within a week.”

Teja, Slum Resident

Residents of Motera Basti show the evictions notices served to them. (Photo: The Quint)

Geeta is couple of months pregnant and cannot lift and move heavy objects. She questioned the authorities about what pregnant women like her can do?

“The authority keeps talking about welfare of the pregnant women. What now? How do we move our entire homes in such a short notice?,” she said.

How and where do we go? They have left us helpless. It’s been 4 days. They are asking us to leave. Where do we go?

Geeta, Slum Resident

‘We have not eaten in 3 days. To add to our woes, they are asking us to move our things’, Geeta questioned the government on behalf of all pregnant women in the area.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has set aside a budget of over Rs 100 crore for the preparations. The route to the venue of the event – Motera Cricket Stadium – is around 10 km from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport, and has witnessed a massive beautification drive ever since the announcement of Mr Trump’s visit was made.

Residents of Motera Basti show the evictions notices served to them. (Photo: The Quint)

‘Will Die but Not Leave’

Motera Basti resident, Vanita Mukesh says she has lived in that slum for a decade now. ‘What crime have we committed? Why are you troubling us?’

“We are not going to leave even if you send us a notice. You could run a bulldozer over us. The machine can kill us but we will not evict,” Vanita said.

We are labourers and that’s how we earn our bread. We earn Rs 200 a day. What do we do with that Rs 200? They have been troubling us for days and so we do not have ration. We are unable to give even Rs 10 to our kids if they ask for it. This is the situation.

Slum resident

Ahmedabad Wall Turns Into Fence for Trump

Workers construct a wall in front of a slum ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit in Ahmedabad. (Photo: PTI)

(Photo: ANI)

(Photo: ANI)

(Photo: ANI)

(Photo: ANI)

A wall is also being built in an effort to mask a slum along the route that US President Donald Trump is likely to take when he visits the city. is now being restricted to 4 feet and will be a fence that runs parallel to the wall – where the AMC is planning to plant bamboo and evergreen trees.

(With inputs from Deepak Patel in Ahmedabad)