US President Donald Trump will not have to see the homes of the poor when he arrives in Ahmedabad during his visit to India this month. A new wall has been erected to separate him from it.
A senior government official said the wall is being built for security reasons and not to hide the slum.
However, the contractor who built the wall told Reuters that the government "does not want the slum to be visible" when Trump passes through him on his way from Ahmedabad airport.
"I have been ordered to build a wall as quickly as possible and 150 buildings are working around the clock to complete the project," the contractor said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The government official conceded that the wall is part of the "beautification and cleansing" campaign.
Whatever the reason, the wall, which is 400 meters long and more than two meters high, will prevent the American president from seeing a neighborhood where about 800 families live.
Trump, who has vowed to build a wall along the US border with Mexico, will visit India on February 24-25 to confirm strategic ties marred by trade disputes.