Slum settlement in south Delhi veiled for BRICS Summit

With the BRICS Summit underway in Delhi, a slum settlement located along the Nelson Mandela Marg and Munirka Marg in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar has been covered with white-purple banners. The banners went up on Thursday night (September 10, 2026), two days ahead of the summit, to “hide the slums” from foreign dignitaries visiting Delhi during the summit, residents said.

Known as ‘Coolie Camp’, the settlement houses about 281 households, according to 2012 data from the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). It’s situated a few kilometres away from the DLF Promenade mall in Vasant Kunj, and is surrounded by markets, parks, and government housing. The entire stretch along the Nelson Mandela Marg and Munirka Marg has been covered by 10-ft.-high curtains, with entry and exit restricted to two points, which has led to problems for them, residents said.

“This is not the first time this area has been covered like this. Even earlier, in 2023, when the G20 Summit happened, the basti (slum) was covered with huge green curtains,” Manoj, a vendor and a resident in the area, said.

While the sanitation and beautification of the national capital is underway in full swing, the settlement housing sanitation workers has been veiled.

“Jaise kooda-kachra dhak dete hain, ese hi hamein bhi kooda samajh kar dhak diya hoga [just like we cover garbage, they must have thought of us as garbage, too],” Manisha, a resident, said.

Residents expressed exasperation with the government’s action in covering up slum settlements rather than investing in welfare programmes that uplift communities from poverty. “If the government has a problem with poverty, why isn’t anything being done to eradicate it?” Golu, a sanitation worker, said.

The ‘Coolie Camp’ comprises compact multi-storeyed huts, two-foot-wide lanes, open drains, and common water taps and washrooms. The curtains have covered the settlement, and the roads have been cleaned up, but an overflowing garbage bin continues to be kept right outside the curtain-wall, with garbage littered around it.

“We have been facing difficulty bringing in our carts and vehicles since these curtains have come up,” Mr. Manoj said. “We are not taking out our carts as we are afraid the police and MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) officials might seize them. Due to this, income has dropped over the last three days,” he said.

The area houses scores of tenants who pay at least ₹3,000-4,000 per month as rent. “Our earnings are anyway less. With movement and income restricted, we have to be careful about our expenses, too,” Shivani, a domestic worker, said.

“Why do the politicians come to us asking for votes with their hands joined during elections if this is what they think of us — people who need to be hidden so that their pride doesn’t get hurt? What happened to ‘jahan jhuggi wahin makaan’ [slum rehabilitation programme]?” Reena, a sanitation worker, said.

“Despite having lived here for generations, we are not considered residents. I have no Aadhaar card, no voter card, no other document that can help me establish myself as a resident of Delhi. Tomorrow, if the government decides to demolish the slum, where will I go?” Ms. Reena said.