Ahead of G20 meetings, Mumbai civic body drops curtains to hide slums, poverty

Mumbai: While the city is all set to host several G20 meetings from December 13 to 16, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has put up white-coloured curtains and barricades outside the slums along the Western Express Highway (WEH).

Mohammed Rabban, a vegetable vendor at Querishi Nagar, Mahim causeway, said that the authorities came three days back and installed barricades and kept potted plants.

“Maybe they don’t want to show our slums to big people coming from abroad,” he added.

The development comes as a part of the beautification drive for the international summit.

“We are almost finished beautifying the road from Bandra to Borivali and even other places in the city,” said Ranjit Dhakne, deputy municipal commissioner of BMC. He is in charge of zone 3 and the beautification drive for the G20 summit.

When asked about the installation of barricades and curtains, Dhakne said, “We have done it where it is needed.’’

Most of the G20 delegates are going to visit Kanheri caves inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park as a part of their Mumbai sightseeing programme and the entire stretch of WEH is renovated.

Sources in the state government said that the forest department did not have enough budget for road repairs and the BMC decided to repave roads in the forest which lead from the entrance of SGNP to Kanheri caves.

The Mithi river near Bandra Kurla Complex and Sion Bandra road junction have also been barricaded so that this stretch of the river which is dirty is not visible to those who would be travelling by road.

Former Congress corporator from Bandra, Asif Zakaria, said, “Mumbai is known for diversity. Why hide the truth and camouflage the reality?”

He opined that since the delegates are coming, the signages and dividers are washed and painted, adding, “This must happen regularly.”

Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab said, “The BMC has issued notices to many car owners who used to park cars under the Vakola bridge. I told them that vehicles will not be removed. The BMC has now put white curtains as I had threatened an agitation.”

In 2020, the authorities in Ahmedabad constructed walls during then-US President Donald Trump’s visit to hide poverty in the city.

Ghanshyam Bhapkar of the Jhopadpatti Chalval – an NGO working for slums said, “They are only trying to hide slums and this is not correct. They are hiding reality.”