Ahmedabad, 3 February 2014

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today resolved to build lakhs of pucca houses as part of ambitious campaign for empowerment of the newly emerged middle class, middle class and slum-dwellers across India. In Gujarat alone, he said, nearly 22-lakhs houses will be built in urban areas and 28-lakhs in rural areas in a time-bound manner.

Speaking at a function to mark the dedication of the first-ever well-planned modern dhobhi ghat, called ‘laundry campus’ and refurbished Sunday traditional weekly haat called Ravivar Gujri market on the bank of River Sabarmati, he said that while the dhobighat built at a cost of Rs.8.50-crore would have 168 ghats for washer-men, the Ravivar Gujri will have 1,641 platforms built at a cost of Rs.21-crore for sellers. He said the newly created modern facilities would go a long way in economic uplift of the backward communities.

Mr. Modi invited India’s top economists and experts singing paean song of ‘Inclusive Growth’ to study the Sabarmati Riverfront as welfare project rehabilitation of the project affected people with greater facilities. Gujarat would be known for cleansing river pollution and development. Those who once criticized the project as bonfire of public money would have to eat their words.

He distributed on this occasion allotment papers of Gujarat Housing Board (GHB) after a draw for flats built under the Mukhya Mantri Awas Yojna. In all, 10,011 flats are built, including 5,074 for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and 4,937 for Lower Income Group (LIG). He inaugurated on the occasion a road flyover across the 132-foot Ring Road, connecting Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) Old Campus with Vastrapur locality, christened Gyanshakti Marg, built at a cost of Rs.35-crore. He also launched a surveillance project of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to install 554 CCTVs at 62 public places.

With rapid development of towns in the state with qualitative improvement in the lifestyle of common man during the last decade, Mr. Modi said that Gujarat can now legitimately showcase its ‘development model’ for the poor across India now.

Ahmedabad Mayor Meenakshi Patel and Deputy Mayor Ramesh Desai also spoke on the occasion. Prominent among those present at the function included Gujarat’s Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel, Minister of State Pradeepsinh Jadeja, GHB Chairman Vivek Patel, MLA Rakesh Shah, Municipal Councilors, Dr Manjula Subramanyam, Municipal Commissioner Dr Guruprasad Mahapatra, GHB Commissioner Mona Khandhar, office-bearers, officers and beneficiaries.

Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi today dedicated three development works in Ahmedabad city. Following are the photographs of new projects dedicated.

River front market (between Vivekananda bridge-Sardar bridge on eastern bank of Sabarmati river front)

IIMA flyover(east-west direction flyover between Old IIMA gate and new IIMA gate on IIMA road)

Dhobi Ghat(On eastern bank of Sabarmati river front next to Ambedkar bridge)