India has a facelift ahead of Trump's visit

Video Credit: Reuters Studio
Published on February 20, 2020 - Duration: 01:55s

India has a facelift ahead of Trump's visit

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to "drain the swamp" of lobbyists and elites in Washington D.C.

Now, one Indian city is racing to clean up a stagnant river as he prepares to visit.


India has a facelift ahead of Trump's visit

India is racing to prepare for a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump.

They're sweeping the streets, scrubbing walls, freshening up a stagnant river.

And even inspecting a colonial-era bridge, earlier deemed unfit for heavy vehicles, because Trump and his motorcade is likely to pass over it.

The president will arrive in India on February 24th on a maiden two-day trip that aims to repair bilateral relations hurt by a trade spat.

Talks on a deal have run into problems over issues with data privacy and e-commerce controls.

Trump will visit the western city of Ahmedabad, India's capital New Delhi, and Agra where he will view the famed monument, the Taj Mahal.

Many are very excited for the president's visit.

One man in rural India - has even built a shrine to worship Trump.

(SOUNDBITE) (Approximate Telugu translation) TRUMP FAN, BUSSA KRISHNA, SAYING: "I carry his picture and before any work I pray to him.

He is like a god to me and that is the reason I established a statue.

Every Friday I fast for Trump's long life." But the big clean up has major repercussions for some poorer communities.

Local residents of an Ahmedabad slum were outraged after a wall was put up around their shanty towns.

(SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) SLUM RESIDENT, NAME NOT GIVEN, SAYING: "When you are spending so much money for the wall, then come and have a peak inside the shanties of us poor people.

You can spend 800,000 to a million rupees for the wall, then also go inside the shanty of a poor person to see how they are living, what conditions they are living in." Along with polluted water, authorities are battling some of the world's filthiest air, that even stains the white marble of the Taj Mahal.

And increasingly aggressive troops of monkeys that have been known to attack visitors.

District authorities have denied local media reports they have relocated some of the more troublesome primates for the visit, and that the unstable bridge will be unable to bear the weight of Trump's armor-plated limousine known as "The Beast."

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