With the BRICS Summit underway in Delhi, a slum settlement along Nelson Mandela Marg and Munirka Marg in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar has been covered with white‑purple banners. The curtains were erected on Thursday night, September 10, 2026, two days before the summit, to conceal the area from visiting foreign dignitaries.
The settlement, known locally as ‘Coolie Camp’, houses about 281 households according to 2012 data from the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board. It lies a few kilometres from the DLF Promenade mall in Vasant Kunj and is surrounded by markets, parks and government housing. The entire stretch along the two roads has been draped with ten‑foot‑high curtains, and access has been limited to two points, which residents say has caused significant inconvenience.
Residents remember a similar covering during the 2023 G20 Summit, when the slum was draped in green curtains. Manoj, a vendor, said, “They covered us just like garbage.” Manisha added, “They must have thought of us as garbage, too.” The sanitation and beautification of the capital continues, yet the community that houses sanitation workers remains veiled.
The curtains have impeded the movement of carts and vehicles, and many fear police or municipal officials will seize them. “Our income has dropped over the last three days,” said Manoj. Golu, a sanitation worker, asked, “If the government has a problem with poverty, why isn’t anything being done to eradicate it?” Shivani, a domestic worker, noted that rent costs between ₹3,000 and ₹4,000 per month strain residents who already earn little.
Reena, another sanitation worker, expressed concern about the future: “I have no Aadhaar card, no voter card, no documents that can establish me as a resident. If the government decides to demolish the slum tomorrow, where will I go?” She questioned the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes and the political rhetoric that seems to hide rather than help the community.
