Indian city builds wall to hide slum districts from Trump's view during US president's imminent visit
Indian city builds wall to hide slum districts from Trump's view during US president's imminent visit

An city in western India has made a controversial decision to erect a wall that conceals slum districts from view, in preparation for a planned visit by US President Donald Trump.

The wall is being built across a road section in the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) erected the four-foot-high wall to hide slums along the route that Donald Trump's motorcade will pass through on the planned visit of February 24.

Some sections were built to a height of around six feet, but after widespread coverage of the wall's construction, the height was lowered to four feet for the rest of its length.

Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra responded to criticisms about the wall on Twitter saying: "The decision to build a four-feet wall was taken two months ago to prevent encroachments on the footpath and road," "Eighteen roads of about 20 kilometers (12 miles) in length from Ahmedabad Airport to Motera Stadium have been widened or re-laid," Nehra said, adding that the improvements had been planned before Trump's visit was confirmed.

The US president is slated to address a 100,000-strong audience at the Motera stadium.