Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on February 24, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Monday served eviction notices to 45 families living in a slum area near Motera stadium, reported The Indian Express.
While the families of construction workers claimed that they have been asked to evict the plot due to the "Namaste Trump" event, the AMC officials refuted the claims and said that the eviction notices were not in connection with the event. Around 65 families constituting nearly 200 people have been living in the area about 1.5 kilometres from the stadium, for two decades.
A few days ago, AMC had started constructing a six to seven feet high and about half a kilometre long wall along the 10 km stretch connecting the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to Indira Bridge, purportedly to hide the slums in the area from the President's view.
"The AMC officials who came to serve the notices asked us to vacate as soon as possible. They told us that the head of the United States is visiting Motera stadium and they wanted us to move out," Teja Meda(35), who claimed to have been living at the site for the past 22 years, was quoted by the media.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump will be taking part in a grand roadshow along the road on February 24. After the roadshow, Trump will inaugurate the newly-constructed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Motera area along with PM Modi.
According to the report, the eviction notice claimed that the "encroached" land belongs to the AMC and is part of a town planning (TP) scheme and the people were asked to shift from the place within seven days. They have been given till Wednesday to approach the department in case of any appeals. According to the notice dated February 11, the seven-day period ends on Tuesday.
"These slum-dwellers had encroached upon land under one of the town planning schemes and hence were served notices. It has nothing to do with the US President's event at Motera stadium. Some elements are trying to take advantage of the event," Kishore Varna, assistant TDO (Motera ward) at the Usmanpura office of AMC, who signed the eviction notices was quoted by the media.
Meanwhile, in a bid to keep the roads and walls around the airport clean, the health department of AMC on Friday, February 14, sealed three pan shops at the airport circle. The AMC officials said that legal actions will be taken against the shopkeepers if they tried to remove the seal.
Also Read: Gujarat Civic Body Builds Wall To Hide Slum Ahead Of US President Donald Trump's Visit