With only hours left for G20 Summit 2023, New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan, the venue for the highly anticipated event is ready to welcome world leaders. The last leg of beautification work is underway with decorated roads leading to the spot.
However, the stringent restrictions due to the summit have left thousands of residents from Janta Camp which is located opposite Pragati Maidan stranded. The shanties house thousands of low-wage labourers and they feel the curbs will leave them in misery.
Jyoti Gupta was diagnosed with typhoid twenty days ago but has been unable to go outside the parameters for treatment. Due to road blockages and barriers, auto drivers have hiked their prices from fifty to almost a hundred rupees for one-way travel, further adding to their worries. This is much more expensive for Jyoti and other residents who avoid travelling outside.
Dr. Salim Khan, a resident doctor of the slum has experienced substantial losses since the restrictions have significantly limited the patients who used to visit him by half. On being asked if they have been informed about when their lives will resume back to normal, he said that the police are telling them to watch the news but “news pe dikhate kuch hai aur haki kat kuch aur hai” (News shows something else while the reality is different).
Another woman, requesting anonymity, said that she has been unable to work at the zoo due to the impositions. While she typically earns between 17,000 to 18,000 rupees, a deduction of around 750 rupees is enforced for each day of work missed at the zoo.
The restrictions have also impacted an elderly couple, Radhe Shyam Tiwari, aged 65, and his wife Seema. Radhe Shyam, who used to run a small business selling kachori, Dalmur, and tea now finds himself unable to operate.
“It is said that poverty is disappearing from India but all I see are more and more poor people,” Radhe Shyam said.
Pawan Kumar, employed as a watchman in a school near Deshbandhu College, shared that he encounters frequent challenges with the assigned police officers near the newly made checkpoint. He stated that despite seeking the public’s votes, the government seems to confine its citizens.
In order to go outside, residents are forced to take unreliable paths. They must navigate across a wide drain, instilling a fear of potential mishaps, particularly when transporting their vehicles like bicycles and motorcycles. Following this, they have to travel on a rugged road filled with bricks and rocks, making transportation even more difficult for the people in this area.
People who are operating their businesses inside Janta Camp such as the resident shopkeepers are also facing inconvenience as they are unable to stock up on necessary items. Rakesh who runs a shop inside the area has not been able to go outside in order to stockpile required items for two days. His only claim is that although they were aware of the three-day lockdown due to the G-20 summit, the restrictions have been imposed early which is hampering their livelihoods.
The heavy restriction on mobility and barricading of slums have drawn widespread criticism from people ahead of the G20 meeting. Authorities used green curtains to hide Delhi’s poor quarters, triggering outrage.
Suhasini Biswas has completed her degree in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication and is a regular contributor at Maktoob.
