‘This Happens Every Single Time’: Residents Behind Ahmedabad’s Infamous Wall

A day after an eviction notice was issued to more than 40 residents of Saranyavaas and more than a week after about 20 homes were razed to erect a wall around the slum ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit on February 24, authorities of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) have issued a statement denying that it was erected to hide the slum.

While AMC Commissioner Vijay Nehra has said that affordable homes will be given to the dwellers, residents of Saranyavaas claimed that they have not been an offered alternate option of housing.

“No authority ever came to meet us. Nobody told us that a wall will be erected and our homes will be demolished,” said Ashok Shantilal Saranya, a resident of Saranyavaas. “Besides this is not the first time they have taken measures to hide us during a VVIP visit. This happens to us every time there is a VVIP visit or a high-profile event,” he added.

Visiting card of Dashrath D Saranya confirming he is BJP worker

Close to a week ago, officials of AMC demolished more than twenty homes of the slum. A wall is being built in the space around the slum and tall potted trees are being placed around the newly-erected wall. A tarpaulin sheet is used to hide the slum ahead of every VVIP visit, summit or conference in the city which is taken off after the event. This is first time a wall is being built to hide the area.

On February 19, AMC Commissioner Vijay Nehra took to Twitter and said: “Truth has a way of coming out. The decision to build a four feet wall was taken two months ago to prevent encroachments on footpath and road. I had personally visited the slum and offered houses to the residents. AMC is constructing about one lakh affordable homes for poor people.”

“We did not get any notice to inform us that they (AMC) will demolish our homes if we don’t vacate them. They came in the morning when most of the young men and women were out for work and used a JCB machine to raze our houses. We did not even get a chance to save our belongings,” Gemabhai, another resident, told NewsClick.

Reshma, a single mother recovering from a spinal surgery, has taken a loan from a local loan-shark to build a one-room shanty for herself and son. “They demolished my house, I have nowhere to live now,” she said.

Noticeably, even as the Ahmedabad civic body denied the wall was being built for hiding the slum, a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker threatened residents for speaking to the media about the wall and their plight, hidden from view due to the brick and mortar structure.

Residents claimed that on the night of February 18, Dashrath D. Saranya alias Rana, a resident of Saranyavaas took a loudspeaker and announced that talking to media would be inviting “trouble” as some “sahebs” are not happy with coverage of the wall in the media.

“I never threatened anyone; I just spoke to people of my slum. The residents of Saranyavaas are insane and stupid. They talk nonsense,” Saranya told NewsClick when confronted. “Besides, the wall has been there for ages, it is just being repaired now. No house has been demolished and no one has been given any eviction notice,” he added while confirming that he is associated with the BJP and works as a labour contractor.

Meanwhile ex-Chief Minster and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Shankar Sinh Vaghela visited the slum on February 19 and criticised the Gujarat government for building the wall. “If India and Gujarat are so developed what is the need of a wall,” he said.