- Major infrastructure push: Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurates and launches development projects worth approximately ₹1,400 crore in Ahmedabad
- Housing with dignity: Ramapir No Tekro rehabilitation project to provide more than 55,000 residents access to housing and essential social infrastructure
- Mobility transformation: Four-kilometre ISKCON overbridge project expected to ease travel between Sarkhej and Gandhinagar
- Flood-mitigation focus: New pump house planned to address rainwater drainage and waterlogging in Bopal-Ghuma
- Education and water security: Smart schools, two new primary schools and Jalasapur Water Treatment Plant figure in the development package
- Beyond infrastructure: Shah calls for a drug-free Gujarat by December 31, 2028, ahead of the Centre’s December 31, 2029 target for a drug-free India
NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, NOV 9
Ahmedabad’s urban development agenda received a major push on Monday with Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurating and laying foundation stones for projects worth approximately ₹1,400 crore. From rehabilitating slum-dwellers and strengthening public education to tackling waterlogging, improving water infrastructure and easing traffic congestion, the projects seek to address several pressing needs of a rapidly expanding city.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other dignitaries were present at the programme, where Shah also outlined a broader development vision for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency and called for a citizen-led campaign against drug abuse.
Housing rehabilitation: From informal settlements to planned communities
A significant component of the development agenda is the rehabilitation of residents of Ramapir No Tekro. Shah said the initiative builds on the housing programme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2007 to provide permanent homes to people living in slums.
He said residents of Ramapir No Tekro were being provided with well-built flats and that, upon completion of the entire project, more than 55,000 people would have access to social security, recreational, educational and healthcare facilities within a single complex.
Referring to the broader rehabilitation initiative, Shah said the Prime Minister had envisaged providing permanent housing to nearly one lakh slum-dwellers in Ahmedabad, an effort now being taken forward by the Gujarat Government under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
He contrasted the present rehabilitation efforts with the past, alleging that areas such as Ramapir No Tekro had remained neglected for decades. He said the poor had continued to vote for the Opposition without receiving the housing improvements they needed.
Connectivity and drainage take centre stage
Urban mobility and monsoon preparedness featured prominently in the projects announced. Shah said the foundation stone had been laid for a four-kilometre-long ISKCON overbridge, which is expected to significantly improve connectivity between Sarkhej and Gandhinagar.
Recalling the long travel time along this corridor, he said the journey had earlier taken around two-and-a-half hours. Once completed, the project is expected to provide a signal-free route and substantially reduce travel time. Shah said the overbridge was expected to be completed within three years.
The Bopal-Ghuma area also figures in the city’s infrastructure priorities. A foundation stone was laid for a pump house intended to improve rainwater drainage and address recurring waterlogging. Shah said he had been associated with the area for three decades and had promised that a system would be put in place before 2029 to prevent the area from facing waterlogging.
The Jalasapur Water Treatment Plant was also inaugurated, adding to the water infrastructure projects highlighted at the event.
Smart schools and essential civic facilities
Education was another important dimension of the development programme. Referring to the inauguration of two primary schools, Shah said the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation had transformed primary schools in the area into smart schools.
He also pointed to similar efforts by Primary Education Committees across the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, emphasising the importance of modern educational infrastructure in improving opportunities for children.
Shah urged parents in the Ramapir No Tekro area to give priority to their children’s education, stressing that access to better housing and civic amenities must go hand in hand with educational advancement.
₹25,000-crore development claim for Gandhinagar constituency
Shah said development projects worth approximately ₹1,400 crore were being inaugurated or launched on Monday. Of this, projects worth around ₹1,024 crore were undertaken by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, while approximately ₹400 crore worth of works were associated with the Gujarat Government’s Roads and Buildings Department and the Government of India.
He further stated that, including the projects taken up on Monday, development works worth approximately ₹25,000 crore had been completed in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency over the preceding seven years.
Reaffirming his development vision, Shah said the commitment was to build a “Green Gandhinagar Lok Sabha, Developed Gandhinagar Lok Sabha” constituency.
Drug-free Gujarat: A call for collective responsibility
Moving beyond civic infrastructure, Shah called for a coordinated campaign against drug abuse, describing it as a serious threat to the physical and mental health, concentration and future of young people. He also linked the drug trade to the wider challenge of terrorism.
Referring to a joint meeting held on Saturday between the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Gujarat’s Home Department, Shah said discussions had covered the implementation of the new criminal laws, modernisation of the Home Department and measures to make Gujarat drug-free.
He said the Centre had set December 31, 2029, as the target for a drug-free India and appealed to citizens to help Gujarat achieve the goal a year earlier, by December 31, 2028.
Shah urged people to report information about drug sales or consumption through the helpline 1033, assuring that the identity of informants would remain confidential and that strict action would follow.
He called upon teachers to take note of changes in a child’s behaviour and arrange appropriate testing and consultations with parents whenever necessary. Parents and residents, too, were urged to report suspected drug-related activity in their neighbourhoods.
Shah said de-addiction centres were being established for young people struggling with substance abuse. He emphasised that there should be no shame or hesitation in seeking treatment and assured that the identities of those undergoing treatment would be protected.
He further announced that a control room would become operational from December 1, with a mechanism intended to ensure action within three hours of receiving drug-related information. Describing the proposed response system as scientifically designed, he said the Government would act against both the kingpins and operatives involved in the drug trade.
“The cooperation of citizens, teachers and parents is essential to create a Drug-free Gujarat and a Drug-free India,” Shah said, urging the public to share responsibility for the campaign. He also administered a pledge to residents to actively contribute to making Gujarat drug-free.
Concluding his address, Shah extended Diwali greetings to the people of Gujarat and wished them well ahead of the Gujarati New Year, Bestu Varas, beginning on Tuesday.